Kokoro Kara: With All My Heart
by EriChanHime
Summary: After the end of the series, a pair of American exchange students turns life inside out for the inhabitants of Nerima. Mousse & Ryoga find them fascinating; Ranma finds them to be trouble. And what's this about a possible cure for their curses?
1. Someone to Love Me

All Ranma ½ characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Video, respectively. I don't claim to own any of them. I just enjoy writing about them! I do, however, belong to myself, so I will claim me… I'll also assume my cousin, who graciously allowed me to include her in my story, will claim herself. smirk On the other hand, this story is completely my work, so please ask before you use it in any way. Also, I provide translations at the very end, both for regular dialogue, and strange attacks. Now, on to the fanfic!

A story by: Eri-Chan

(All questions, comments, critiques, and

spelling/grammar corrections would be most to 3-22-03

**Kokoro Kara**

_(With All my Heart)_

Author's Note: This story takes place approximately four months after the events in the last Ranma ½ episode. And some things are gonna change…

(The « » symbols will be used to denote speech in any language other than Japanese)

Part One: Someone to Love Me

Erin and Jesse had just moved into an apartment in Nerima ward, Tokyo, Japan. At eighteen and almost eighteen respectively, they had just finished their last year of high school and were looking for some adventure before thinking about college. Having both taken Japanese, and both being rather fluent, they decided to join an exchange student program for a year. Although it did not start until the schools started, they had chosen to go early and spend the summer getting to know people. This decision had led them, ultimately, to the small place where they were staying, overlooking a busy street market in Nerima. They were planning to stay for no more than a year. Sometimes, though, plans change…

Ryoga Hibiki had just recently given up on his infatuation with Ranma Saotome's tomboyish fiancée, Akane Tendo. In fact, they were not even on speaking terms at the moment. About four weeks after Ranma and Akane's rather abortive wedding, Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane were standing outside in front of the Tendo's house when it suddenly began to rain. There was no time to go inside, and all three were instantly soaked. The cold water activated both boys' curses, courtesy of the Cursed Springs at Jusenkyo Training Ground. Ranma turned into a short, busty redheaded girl, and Ryoga, well, Ryoga turned into P-Chan, Akane's little black pet piglet. The same piglet that she let sleep in her bed with her. Akane's eyes went wide, and Ryoga didn't even have time to run. Akane picked him up by the bandanna around his neck, pulling him out of the pile of clothes that he had, up until a few moments ago, been wearing, and eyed him warily. Ranma just stood there, looking sheepish. He had known all along about Ryoga/P-Chan, but had sworn on his honor as a martial artist never to tell Akane. Now it looked as if he would no longer have to worry about it.

Akane picked Ryoga's clothing off the ground and, with the dripping piggy still in her hand, she walked into the house, up the stairs, and into the bathroom. She proceeded to pull the cover off the furo and then unceremoniously tossed the pig into the tub. After a few moments, a very embarrassed Ryoga, his curse "turned off" by the warm water, popped up. Akane stared at him, realization finally beginning to dawn in that thick head of hers.

"Now I know why P-Chan disappears so suddenly all the time," Akane murmured, speaking more to herself than to the undressed boy hiding in the bath.

About this time, girl-type Ranma came slinking into the bathroom. He looked from Ryoga to Akane. From the look forming on her face, he figured she finally knew P-Chan's secret.

"Akane," he began carefully, as she could be quite violent when peeved. "Akane, I can explain this."

Akane didn't even glance at him; she was too busy staring in shock at Ryoga. "I don't really care what the explanation is, Ranma," she said stoically. Then, looking directly at Ryoga's face she said, "Ryoga, I would like you to get dressed, get your things from downstairs, and get out. I don't want to see or hear from you right now, so," and here, her voice got louder. "So, you can just forget about your feud with Ranma for a while," she was now openly yelling, "because if I see you anywhere near the dojo for at least a year, I'm gonna KILL YOU!"

She spun on her heel, brushed past Ranma, and left the room, trailing animosity behind her. They could hear her door slam shut a few seconds later. Ranma looked over at Ryoga, who was silently starting to get dressed.

"Well," Ranma stated with his usual lack of compassion, "that could've gone worse…but probably not much."

Ryoga whirled around to face his long time rival, put his hands out with the palms facing Ranma, and yelled, "Shishi Hôkôdan!" The resulting blast of chi energy sent Ranma through the roof, quite literally, leaving a gaping hole in the ceiling, and sending the guy/girl off into low earth orbit, almost.

Ryoga finished dressing just as the rain stopped. He walked down the hall, pausing only to whisper a soft, "I'm sorry," to Akane's door, went downstairs to collect his backpack and shoes, and left. He walked out of Nerima and into the surrounding woods, planning to never go back. He intended to go on a training trip to the mountains for a while, and then find a way to head to China to see if he could undo his curse. Unfortunately, he, as always, wound up completely lost.

About six cities, four towns, two forests, and three months later, he found himself right back where he had started, in Nerima. As soon as he figured out where he was, he commenced beating his head against the nearest wall. "Why can't I ever get it right!" he yelled in frustration. Leaving a now broken wall behind him, he began walking down the street, figuring that maybe he would wind up back out of town.

Around fifteen minutes later, he found himself standing in front of the Neko Hanten, the Chinese restaurant run by Cologne and her great-granddaughter, Shampoo the purple-haired Chinese Amazon. With the help, of course, of their near-servant, Mousse. Ryoga walked in, with the intention of getting something to eat, and narrowly missed being hit with a frying pan that came flying out of the kitchen. Today was just not going to be his day.

He stood by the counter listening to a series of Chinese words and quacks that came from the cooking area. As he watched, a small, white duck ran frantically out of the kitchen, a pair of glasses perched precariously on its bill.

"Hello, Mousse," Ryoga said to the duck.

It stopped and looked at him. "Quack. Quack QUACK!" it replied, sounding more than a little annoyed. It then proceeded to run up the stairs in search of some hot water. A few moments later, Shampoo came running out of the kitchen armed with her bonbori.

"Where stupid, blind duck-boy go now?" she snapped with her usual odd grammar. "Shampoo want hurt him!"

Ryoga regarded her, wondering yet again why she could not learn to refer to herself correctly, in the first person. "May I order something to eat?" he questioned, tactfully ignoring her inquiry.

"What Ryoga want?"

"I'd like a deluxe ramen, please," he told her politely. Whether he was stronger than she was or not, it was always wise to be nice to a ticked-off Amazon warrior.

"Shampoo be back. Ryoga have seat." She turned and went back into the kitchen, putting her bonbori back into whatever hidden place she keeps them.

Ryoga was getting ready to sit down when the door of the restaurant opened. He watched as two young ladies walked in, completely immersed in their conversation. He judged them to be about his age, and really pretty cute. The slightly taller girl turned to the other, laughing.

"I thought you would've liked okonomi-yaki. I do."

The shorter, more petite girl looked at the first and wrinkled her nose.

"So did I, but it tasted like fried rubber!"

"When was the last time you ate fried rubber?" questioned the first girl with a short giggle.

"About ten minutes ago!"

This sent them both into another fit of laughing.

"Well," the taller girl continued, "that strange girl with the giant spatula sure looked annoyed when you spit it out."

"I don't care! There was no possible way I was going to swallow that atrocity."

From what they had been discussing, Ryoga decided that they had just been at Ucchan's Okonomi-yaki. Now they had come to the Neko Hanten after finding Ukyo's "Japanese pizza any-way-you-like-it" not to their liking. He studied them a bit more closely.

They were both very American-looking, with round eyes and light skin. They appeared to be in their late teens, and possibly related, as they superficially resembled each other. The taller girl had medium brown hair, with natural reddish highlights, that came past the bottom of her shoulder blades. A thin braid about four or five inches longer than the rest of her hair hung down her back on one side. She had sparkling greenish eyes, pierced ears, and, at the moment, a huge grin on her face.

The other girl had dark blond hair with darker roots, bluish-green eyes, and was, in his opinion, prettier. Her hair went to the middle of her back and looked rather windblown. She also had a few freckles on her nose and a fairer complexion. The blond girl had a slightly more petite body build, and looked a little bit younger. Together, they approached the counter where Ryoga was standing, and looked up at him through tears of laughter. The brunette spoke first.

"Hello, my name is Erin," she smiled as she said it. The blond just stared at him and blinked. Erin looked at the other girl and said, "and this is my cousin, Jesse." She elbowed the other girl, "J-Chan…"

"Hi," Jesse said dreamily. Then, to her cousin, she said in English, «Isn't he absolutely gorgeous!»

Ryoga did not really know what she had said, but from the way she had said it, the look on her face, and the reaction the comment had elicited from Erin (a snicker), he had a pretty good idea. He smiled awkwardly, as he was out of practice.

"I am Ryoga Hibiki. It's nice to meet you."

Erin grinned at him in a friendly manner, Jesse grinned at him in an overly friendly manner, and he sweatdropped. All of a sudden, they both had the same expression on their faces; the look of someone who has just been hit by Cupid's arrow. And, it seemed like they were both looking at him!

"_Oh, dear!_" thought Ryoga. "_One of them I can deal with. After all, I'm actually kinda attracted to the blond girl, but _both_ of them! What am I gonna do!_"

However, at that moment, he noticed something. Whereas the blond, Jesse, was clearly staring straight at him, Erin appeared to be staring at some point a little ways beyond him. Feeling both relieved and a bit curious, Ryoga turned to she who exactly she was looking at.

"_If it's Ranma for some strange reason, I think I'm gonna be ill_," Ryoga thought silently. For some reason that Ryoga was incapable of fathoming, Ranma had a way of doing that to girls. What he saw when he turned around, however, shocked him completely. Mousse was coming down the stairs.

Mousse was the absolute last person Ryoga would have thought anyone could be romantically interested in. The slender, tallish Chinese boy still had damp hair from changing back into a person. He also, like Ryoga and Ranma, had a Jusenkyo curse; he turned into a white duck when splashed with cold water. His straight, black hair went a little past the small of his back, and his thick, round glasses were set on the top of his head, right behind his bangs. He was wearing his typical outfit: Chinese slippers, long dark blue pants under an almost floor-length, white Chinese robe with a diamond design on the chest, and a red tied belt. Ryoga could not see anything about myopic Mousse that a woman might find attractive, with the possible exception of his big, turquoise eyes, but Erin was staring at him as if he were the most wonderful person she had ever seen. Ryoga turned back to the two girls before him, and watched Erin's look go from love-struck to determined.

"Excuse me for a minute," she said, and then began walking towards Mousse, who had come down, and was preparing to go into the kitchen.

As she approached him, he turned his head and saw her coming. His eyes got wider and he got a typical "Mousse-getting-ready-to-glomp-onto-Shampoo" look on his face. Ryoga had a feeling he knew what was going to happen. He briefly wondered if he should try to stop her, and explain that Mousse was utterly infatuated with Shampoo. Of course this would also lead to the point that Shampoo hated Mousse's guts and would gladly kill him if she had the chance, but that didn't faze Mousse. Unfortunately, he did not have his glasses on his face where they should have been, and he thought that Erin _was_ Shampoo. Ryoga was just about to say something, but it was too late.

Mousse had already altered his trajectory and was, at that very moment, running towards Erin. Erin's eyes got very large as the Chinese boy leaped at her, wrapped his arms around her body, effectively pinning her arms to her sides, and put his head on her shoulder. All the while saying something along the lines of, "Shampoo, I'm sorry for whatever it was I did that made you angry. Will you forgive me? Will you marry me?"

Unfortunately, for all involved, Shampoo had just come out of the kitchen with Ryoga's ramen. She stopped behind the counter where Ryoga and Jesse were standing, doing their best to look innocent of anything and everything. Shampoo looked ready to hurt something. Ryoga did the only thing he could think of. He reached out and took the bowl of ramen from Shampoo, removing the possibility of her hurling it at someone. She just stood there with a very angry expression, deprived of her prospective weapon.

"Stupid Mousse!" she screamed. "What you think you doing to customer! Stupid blind duck-boy!"

Mousse looked up upon hearing Shampoo's voice coming from someone other than the lady he was attached to. Something was wrong. This person did not feel quite right. Also, she was not embedding blunt objects in his head as Shampoo would have undoubtedly been doing had he treated her in this manner.

"Huh?" He pulled his glasses off his head, put them on, and found himself staring into a pair of wide, green eyes. Shampoo did not have green eyes. Mousse let go of Erin, who was smiling impishly. Jesse snickered in the background.

"Oh, dear," he murmured, looking from Erin to the raging Shampoo and back again. He looked down at the floor, and his shoulders slumped. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were somebody else…" he trailed off in embarrassment.

"That's O.K." Erin told him with a grin. "That was the nicest welcome I've gotten since moving here." She put her hand out. "My name is Erin."

Mousse looked up from the floor with a small smile on his face. "I am Mousse." He shook her hand.

She looked at him questioningly. "Moose? Like the animal?"

"No," he said rather softly. "Mousse…like the product."

"Oh, «O.K.», Mousse. That's cute."

He stared at her for a second. At first, he thought she was making fun of him. After all, he was used to Shampoo making fun of him, hitting him, teasing him, and just generally making his life miserable no matter what he did to try and make her happy. Yet, here was a girl who was being nice to him for no particular reason. It was the first time in his life anyone had treated him kindly. She was smiling at him again, and he felt his cheeks getting warm.

"I…I need to go back to work," he stuttered. "It was nice to meet you." He walked around the counter to get to the kitchen. As he passed the fuming Shampoo, he heard her hiss, "Stupid!" He slumped again. When he got to the kitchen door, he turned and looked back at the new girl. She was still smiling at him. He managed a weak smile, and then disappeared into the kitchen. Once Mousse had made his exit, a still very annoyed Shampoo walked up to Erin.

"Shampoo very sorry. Mousse have bad eyesight. He stupid sometimes. Erin-San stay and eat?"

Erin was beginning to get the picture. Shampoo was angry, not because she saw Mousse hug another woman, but because she thought that Mousse's mistake would make a customer leave without buying anything. They would have lost potential profit, and Shampoo was afraid that Erin might spread discontent among other patrons. Erin did her best to look reassuring.

"Of course we're staying. There is no way my cousin's going back to the burnt rubber pancake restaurant, so…"

Erin smiled at Shampoo, who did not look completely convinced.

"You mean say Mousse no make you angry?"

"Of course not! I thought it was actually kinda sweet…"

Shampoo privately wondered how this lady could even stand Mousse's presence let alone think he was "sweet." Erin decided to change the subject.

Gesturing towards Ryoga's bowl, she said, "Um, we'd like two of whatever it is that he's having. It smells good."

Shampoo was finally convinced that they weren't leaving. She took drink orders, then turned to go back into the kitchen, calling, "Two deluxe ramen!"

Erin walked over to Ryoga and Jesse, who had selected a table and sat down next to each other. Jesse looked up at her cousin and, with a grin, said in English, «Ryoga's gonna sit with us, O.K.?»

Erin smiled at Ryoga and responded, «Like I'm really gonna make him go away.»

As she sat down across the table from Jesse, Ryoga thought to himself, "_She sure smiles a lot. Even Kasumi doesn't smile that much. Of course, this girl's probably five or six times as smart as Miss 'Oh, my!'_"

The three of them made small talk for about fifteen minutes. They had reached a lull in the conversation when Mousse came out of the kitchen carrying their ramen and their drinks. With a bowl in each hand, and a tray with the drinks on it balanced on his head, he looked like he was about to drop something. Three pairs of eyes watched his movements. One looked slightly more concerned than the other two.

Mousse got about six feet when two of the glasses began wobbling. He tried to shift some of the weight, but it was not working. One of the glasses started tipping. He closed his eyes in resignation. He could practically feel Shampoo's bonbori on his head, as she would undoubtedly belt him for dropping anything. He steeled himself for the very large noise this was going to make. The tray slid sideways, and his entire body tensed. After a few seconds of no terrible noises, Mousse opened one eye. To his shock, Erin was standing in front of him, holding the tray. All the glasses were still on it, and almost nothing had spilled. He was amazed that she had been able to catch it before it hit the floor.

"Th-thank you…" he began.

"No problem," she interjected. "You looked as though you could use a little help."

Mousse nodded; she was smiling at him again, and it made him feel funny. He wasn't yet sure why. He followed her back over to the table where she had put the drinks down and taken her seat again.

"Nice catch," Ryoga commented. Then, to Mousse he said in a conspiratorial whisper, "Looks like you've got someone looking out for you."

Mousse thought about it as he put the bowls on the table. Ryoga was right; that was the second time that she had saved him from Shampoo's wrath. After setting the food down, he went back into the kitchen, deep in thought. Shampoo handed him a cloth and a bucket, and told him to go finish cleaning the tables. He went out into the dining area and got back to work. After a few moments, he felt like someone was staring a hole through his back. He glanced behind him and saw the same young lady watching him. She saw him looking at her, and winked, then resumed her eating and talking. Mousse turned back to the table he was cleaning with a look of confusion on his face. "_Why is she paying so much attention to me?_" he wondered. No one had ever helped him before, at least, not without their own underlying reasons. Having someone take any kind of effort to make his life better was a completely new experience for him. He rather liked it.

After clearing away the empty dishes and cups, Mousse walked over to Ryoga and his new friends, and handed them their separate checks. Ryoga, being the gentleman that he can be, told them that he would pay for their food. Jesse smiled at him approvingly; he blushed.

"I'll get the tip," Erin told him as they got up to leave. She walked up to Mousse, who was getting ready to go back into the kitchen. She tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned around, not quite knowing what to expect. She held out a bill towards him. "Your tip," she said simply. "And tell Shampoo that the food was great, and we'll be back."

Mousse nodded. Then, he looked at the money she had given him. His eyes got bigger. She had handed him a very large tip. He stared, disbelieving, at the bill in his hand. Erin watched his face for a second. "I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm not very good at dollar/yen conversion yet." She proceeded to take his hand and put another bill in it. Then, she grinned. "Thanks, Mousse. I'll see you around." She ran to the door where Jesse and Ryoga were waiting for her. Mousse watched the door close after them. He just stood there for a minute, looking at the money she had given him, before going back to the kitchen to wash the dishes. He wondered privately just how good her money converting skills really were.

After they were outside, Jesse turned to Erin. Giggling, she asked in English, «Eri-Chan, do you know that you gave him around twenty dollars?»

Erin twirled her braid around her fingers and tried to look perfectly angelic. She was failing. She turned to her cousin with a sly grin.

«I know that.»

Jesse just rolled her eyes. Ryoga stood there looking confused.

"So," Jesse began, "what do we want to do now?"

Erin looked at Ryoga and then at Jesse. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I need to go back to our apartment. We're expecting our parents to call sometime soon to see how we're getting settled in, and somebody needs to be there to take the call." She glanced at Ryoga then back at her cousin. "I think I'll tell them we're settling nicely…"

Erin turned to Ryoga and grinned. "It was really nice to meet you. I hope I'll get to see you around a lot." She changed directions and began to head towards their new home. She called back over her shoulder, "Have fun, «y'all»!" With a wave, she turned a corner and was gone.

After she had left, Ryoga turned to Jesse. "«Y'all»?" he said questioningly.

Jesse rolled her eyes. "She's from Texas. It's slang for 'you all'. In Texan, «you all» goes to «y'all». That's just the way she talks, no matter what language she's speaking."

"Oh."

"Well, what do you want to do?"

Ryoga thought about it. He hadn't been home in about six months, so he told her, "I think I should probably go back to my house."

Jesse looked disappointed. "I guess I'll see you around then." She turned to go, but Ryoga caught her arm.

"Um, wait a second. I know this is going to sound really weird, but…" and here he took a deep breath, resigning himself to the fact that he would have to reveal a major weakness. "But could you, uh, help me find it."

Jesse graced him with a strange stare, "You mean you don't know where your own house is?"

"No, I know where it is, but if I go on my own, I'll get lost on the way there. I have a really lousy sense of direction."

"Um, O.K."

Ryoga told her where, generally, his house was located, and they started off. Jesse, meanwhile, was thinking, "_He can't find his own house? That has gotta be the world's lamest pick-up line ever, especially since I was already interested. Oh, well…_" After the fifth time he had almost gone the wrong way, and was oblivious to the fact until she steered him back in the right direction, she was starting to believe him.

"You really were serious about your sense of direction, weren't you?"

"Yeah, it kinda runs in the family. In fact, my parents probably won't even be there. I have no idea where they are now. You can meet my dog, Checkers, though."

"So, you got any more deep, dark secrets you might care to share with me?"

Jesse had been joking when she had asked, but only one thing was running through Ryoga's mind. "_I lost my chance with Akane because I kept my secret hidden from her. I will not make the same mistake twice. Besides, I think I really like this girl, and I don't want to blow my chance._" He turned his head towards her.

"Actually, yes."

Jesse raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really…?"

"I don't think you'll believe me, but I want you to know. I don't want you to think I'm trying to hide it from you."

Jesse stared at him expectantly. "I'll do my best."

Ryoga began with his feud with Ranma, told her all about chasing him to China, all the way to Jusenkyo. Then, he explained how he had fallen into one of the many cursed pools.

"Now," he finished, "whenever I get splashed with cold water, I turn into a little black piglet."

Jesse stared at him skeptically, trying her best to fulfill her promise to believe him. "So, how exactly are you human right now?"

"Well, hot water changes me back."

"Riiiiight… And how many people do you know with this, um, ailment?"

"Personally, I know four, not counting myself, and we've met others."

"Who?" Jesse waited for him to continue.

"Well, Ranma fell into the Spring of Drowned Girl, Genma, his dad, fell into the Spring of Drowned Panda, Shampoo fell into the Spring of Drowned Cat, and Mousse—"

"Wait a minute, you're telling me that Shampoo and Mousse have these odd curses, too?"

"Yes."

"And, what exactly does Mousse turn into?"

"He turns into a duck."

Jesse snorted. "A duck?"

"Right, he turns into this little white duck called Mu Mu-Chan."

"Do forgive me for not quite believing you," Jesse muttered.

Ryoga could easily see that she thought he was making it all up. He was trying to decide what to say when he saw his house down the street. He pointed.

"There it is."

When they got there, he dragged her inside. After calling out to see if his parents were there, which they were not, and introducing her to his dog, he pulled her into the kitchen.

"I can prove it to you, but you'll have to pour hot water on me afterwards. And, you can't watch me turn back."

"Why not?" she queried.

Ryoga blushed. "Because my clothes don't really cooperate with the transformation very well."

"Um, «Okeedokee»…"

Ryoga walked over to the faucet, pulled a cup out of a cabinet, filled it with cold water, and then turned around. "_Here goes everything_," he thought to himself. He poured the contents of the cup on his head.

"Bweeeeee!" said the little black piglet sitting in the pile of clothes.

"Oh, my…" said Jesse incredulously. "That's just not right."

She bent down and picked up the little pig. She examined the bandanna around its neck; the same one that Ryoga wore around his head.

"You win," she told it, "I believe you."

She put P-Chan back down, picked up the cup, filled it with hot water, and turned to the pig with a giggle.

"You know, you actually make a very cute piglet…"

Closing her eyes, because she had promised, she poured the hot water on top of him.

"Ouch! Not quite that hot!"

A few seconds later, he told her she could look. She opened her eyes and stared at him. His hair and face were wet. Ryoga watched her face for any signs of disgust or similar emotions. Instead, what he saw was that she appeared to be holding back a laugh.

"Oh, my goodness, and you say Mousse turns into a little white duck, right?"

Ryoga nodded, not sure where she was going with this line of thought.

"This is so cool. Erin's gonna flip when I tell her." And here, Jesse did laugh. "You know, I was telling the truth. You do make a very cute piggy."

Ryoga gave her a very odd look. He briefly wondered if she was as warped as Akari, the sumo-pig-raising girl who was obsessed with his pig form. He had stayed at her house for about a week, after which he decided that she scared him. He had left that day. After sharing this fear with Jesse, she assured him that, while she liked P-Chan, she liked him better. Ryoga was shocked. Nobody had ever told him that they liked him. At least not the first time they met, and especially not after finding out about his curse. Akari's claim notwithstanding.

"You…you like me?"

"Yeah, a lot." She winked at him, and had the pleasure of watching him blush.

"I like you, too." He put his hand behind his head nervously, and tried to smile. It wasn't working very well.

"So," Jesse offered, "do you wanna go see a movie or something?"

Ryoga appreciated her effort to change the subject.

"Um, sure. I'd like that."

After they had gone to see a movie, watched the sunset, and had ice cream, Jesse took Ryoga back to his house. As she was about to leave, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. She grinned.

"I'll see you tomorrow, «O.K.»?"

"Alright, but you'll have to come and get me, otherwise, who knows when I'd get to your house."

"It's a deal," she promised. "Good night." Then Jesse left for the apartment where Erin would no doubt be waiting for her, leaving a very happy Ryoga.

When she got home around ten minutes later, the apartment was dark. She used her key to go in. After getting ready for bed, she went into the bedroom she would be sharing with Erin. Jesse's cousin was already asleep in one of the two beds. Jesse felt the need to wake her up. Going over to Erin, Jesse proceeded to shake her shoulder until she opened her eyes.

«What do you want?» Erin complained groggily.

Jesse grinned, «Guess what?» She waited.

After a few seconds Erin responded, «J-Chan, I think it's fairly obvious that I am not going to 'guess what,' so why don't you just tell me, hmm?»

«Well, Ryoga and I went out, and he told me that he turns into a pig.»

«And you believed him? How disturbing…»

«No, really! He showed me. And you know what else?»

Silence.

Jesse continued, «He kissed me good-night!»

«Good for him,» Erin muttered.

Seeing that her cousin was paying an inexcusably small amount of attention to her, Jesse decided that maybe she should try again in the morning. She did, however, have one more strategy.

«Oh, and Ryoga also told me that Mousse turns into a little white duck when you splash him with cold water.»

«WHAT!» Erin's voice went up an octave as she sat up in bed and looked at her cousin. «A little white _what_!»

«Duck,» Jesse informed her with a sly grin. «A little white duck.»

Grudgingly Erin mumbled, «I'm listening.»

Jesse spent the rest of the night telling her cousin absolutely everything, without omitting the slightest detail.

In the morning, after a quick three-hour nap to enable them to actually be able to walk in a straight line, Erin and Jesse decided that living in this town was going to take some effort. Knowing a little more about the people who lived there would likely help them during everyday interaction with the very odd inhabitants. As Jesse already had a scheduled "appointment" with Ryoga, Erin suggested that they both go over to his house and have him give them some background and insight on Ranma, Mousse, Shampoo, Ukyo, etc. That way, at least they would not be completely in the dark as to what drove these people.

Jesse called Ryoga and asked if that would be all right with him.

"Um, sure," he told her. "But you'd better bring a snack, because all the food at my house is rotten from being left here so long, and this is going to take a while."

"«O.K.,» we'll be over in about half an hour. See you soon!"

After hanging up, Jesse informed her cousin of Ryoga's consent, and his request that they bring comestibles. Erin went to the kitchen to make some sandwiches (no ham), and Jesse retreated to the bathroom to finish getting ready. About ten minutes later they started for Ryoga's house with Jesse in the lead.

Upon their arrival fifteen or so minutes later, Ryoga let them in and showed them to the living room. At least that was what he tried to do; they ended up touring the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and bedroom before actually arriving in the living room. Nevertheless, they did eventually get there. Ryoga sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, as Jesse sat beside him. Erin flopped on her stomach in front of them.

"Ryoga," Erin began. "Last night, Jesse told me a whole lot of interesting things about piglets, and water, and ducks, and martial arts, and other strange tidbits. While I won't insult my cousin's recounting abilities, I would like to hear the whole story from you, if you don't mind. After all, we're going to be living here for at least a year, and this town sounds very complicated."

"I don't mind at all. Actually, I'm rather flattered," he told them. "I'm not used to having people, especially girls, at all interested in listening to what I have to say."

"Well, we're very interested, let me tell you…"

"Where do you want me to start?"

Resisting the urge to break into song, since he wouldn't understand the English anyway, Erin replied, "Start with the person in Nerima who seems to cause the most problems. The person who almost everybody here seems to have at least some issue with."

"Oh," Ryoga said. "That would be Ranma Saotome…"

Ryoga proceeded to tell them everything he knew about Ranma, his dad, their curses, and their trip to Jusenkyo, etc. Then, he began to describe his grievances with Ranma, and Mousse's, and Kuno's, and Gosunkugi's, and everyone else that Ryoga knew of who had ever been annoyed with Ranma in any way, shape, or form. He moved on to the relationship, or lack of one, between Shampoo and Mousse, getting several interjections from Erin about the cruelty of it all. Three hours later, they took a break to have something to eat, and to let poor Ryoga's throat recover. He was unused to talking that much at one time.

After they had eaten, Ryoga continued. He explained all about Akane being kidnapped by Prince Kirin and then by Prince Toma. Erin and Jesse were having a hard time understanding why all these people were so infatuated with the violent tomboy. Jesse told Ryoga so, too. He seemed at a loss for words.

Erin piped up. "Maybe she puts off a lot of pheromones."

Ryoga sweatdropped and Jesse laughed.

After two more hours, Ryoga had told them everything he knew about all the major players in Nerima, and many of the minor ones, as well. He had outlined all the adventures they had been on, competitions they had participated in, and battles they had fought. He explained all about each person's fighting style, including his own, and did his best to rank each person's ability. He glanced nervously in Erin's direction when he said that Mousse was not very good compared to some of the other martial artists in Nerima. He was relieved that she seemed more fascinated than annoyed, and did not look at all ready to clout him with anything…how nice.

"What I want to know," she told him, "is how Mousse can fit all this stuff in his clothing, and still be able to move."

Ryoga shrugged his shoulders, "Must have something to do with being a Master of Hidden Weapons."

Jesse, who had mostly been nodding and staring lovingly at Ryoga, spoke up for the first time.

"Eri-Chan," she said with a snicker. "I think he's just 'special' that way."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I know… 'Special,' as in special white jackets with special long sleeves that tie behind your back, and special rooms with special padded walls, and special doctors in special white coats who take special care of you." Erin rolled her eyes tolerantly. "I know exactly what _you_ meant."

"Good for you," Jesse said sarcastically. "Well, I got all the looks, so I suppose you had to get something."

Erin raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, well, I got all the brains, so I suppose _you_ had to get something, too."

Ryoga sat there in confusion, listening to them insult each other. He had a feeling it was part of their version of "bonding."

After making small talk for a little while longer, Erin told them that she was going to go.

"Translation," muttered Jesse, loud enough for the other two to hear, "you're going out to track a Mousse. Hee, hee."

Erin crossed her arms and glared at Jesse, "Wanna make something of it?"

"Not at all," her cousin responded with a devious grin. "After all, I can't exactly fault you for something I've done, too."

"Oh, so you've been chasing Mousse, as well?"

Jesse glanced at Ryoga. "That's not what I meant, and you know it!"

It was Erin's turn to grin deviously, "I knew that, I just couldn't resist."

After saying "good-bye" to Ryoga, and thanking him for being so helpful, Erin got up to leave. She was down the hall and almost to the door when she heard Ryoga and Jesse talking.

"So," he asked, "what do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. What do you—"

Erin smirked and sighed, went out, and closed the door on Ryoga's question.

After about fifteen minutes of walking—with some sidetracking to look at interesting things, such as the strange man dressed in black running through the park with a skeleton on his back shudder—Erin arrived at the Neko Hanten. She pushed the door open gently, and went in. Immediately she felt the need to step back as she found herself face to face with a small, shriveled old woman perched on a stick. Resisting the urge to snicker, she introduced herself.

"Hello," she began amiably. "My name is Erin. You must be Shampoo's great-grandmother, Cologne."

"Yes," the old woman croaked. "So, you are the one Shampoo has been telling me about."

The Old Ghoul peered at Erin, then proceeded to hop off her stick and walk in a circle around her, all the while making thoughtful noises. Erin decided that she now knew how cattle felt at auctions. Finally having completed her circumvention, Cologne stood, once again, in front of Erin.

"Hmmm," she muttered. "Not bad at all… And, this will make it easier for Shampoo to wed Ranma." Then, to Erin, she said, "Very well, he's yours. You have my blessing."

"And Shampoo's!" the Amazon called from the kitchen.

Erin's eyes got a little larger in confusion. She had a feeling she knew what Cologne was talking about, but was not absolutely positive. "I'm sorry, I don't think I quite catch your meaning."

"Well, aren't we being difficult."

"Seriously, I don't think I understand what you're talking about."

"Mousse," Cologne stated matter-of-factly. "You may have him. You seem like you would be good for him."

Resisting the urge to blurt, _"You've only just met me!"_ Erin said, "Without even talking to him, you're just gonna shove him at me!"

"What were you expecting," Cologne rasped, "gift wrapping?" She broke into a wheezing laugh.

Erin felt like face faulting. "_Poor Mousse_," she thought to herself. "_He seems to be so unwanted around here._"

Trying to nonchalantly change the subject, Erin asked, "So, umm, where is Mousse?"

Shampoo came out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a dishtowel.

«Nihao!» she chirped. "Mousse go out early. He go fight Shampoo's Ranma." She smiled brightly. Apparently, the thought of Mousse with another woman made her very happy. "Shampoo think Mousse lose."

"Probably," muttered both Cologne and Erin.

Erin stood there for a moment wondering if maybe she should go try to find them. Shampoo went back into the kitchen and returned moments later with a bucket of hot, soapy water, and began to clean the tables, all the while complaining that "stupid, blind duck-boy" should be the one doing it. Erin said good-bye to the two Amazons, and turned to leave.

Just as she reached the door, it swung open, allowing a very perturbed duck to run into the restaurant, quacking loudly. It was followed a second later by a teenaged boy with a black pigtail, dressed in dark pants and a Chinese shirt. The boy leaped at the duck, succeeding in landing directly on top of it. The duck gave a distressed cry that sounded almost human as the boy grabbed it by the neck, stood up, and began shaking it violently, while yelling, "You MORON! What do ya mean by throwing spears at me? Yer goin' too far, ya stupid duck! Yer gonna hit me one'a these days!"

«_That's likely the idea_,» Erin thought to herself. Then, «_So, this is Ranma. I certainly don't see what all the fuss is about. He looks like a perfect dolt._»

The duck, which had been flapping wildly at first, was now making strangled noises, and merely squirming weakly in Ranma's grip. Erin spoke up.

"Let go of the poor thing! You're gonna kill him."

Ranma noticed the American girl for the first time. He gave her a "so what?" look in response to her comment. Turning to face her, he gave the duck another shake, then said, "I ain't gonna kill 'im. I'm just gonna give 'im a really bad headache!"

Erin, who did not want him to cause Mu Mu-Chan any more bodily harm, held her arms out for the duck and commanded, "Ranma, relinquish the avian!"

Ranma gave her a strange look consisting of shock and confusion bordering on respect. Most people just did not talk to him that way. Then, he began to wonder how she knew his name. He asked her about it.

"That's not all I know," she replied with a feral grin and a cocked eyebrow. "Now, give me Mu Mu-Chan."

Turning to Shampoo, Ranma asked, "Who is this?"

"This Erin. She Mousse's new girlfriend."

Erin closed her eyes in pain.

"Oh, really?" questioned Ranma as a plan formed in his mind. A naughty glint shone in his blue-gray eyes as he handed the partially unconscious duck to Erin. "Wanna know somethin' interesting about Mousse?"

Erin raised her eyebrows questioningly. All of a sudden, Ranma whipped around, grabbed Shampoo's bucket of hot water, and flung it over the small duck in Erin's arms. Unprepared for the instant weight change, Erin dropped a soaking Mousse onto the restaurant floor. "Oops!" she muttered.

Staring at the wet Chinese boy on the floor, she immediately noticed that he was fully clothed. She remembered that Ryoga had told Jesse and her that out of the four people in Nerima with species-altering curses, Mousse was the only one who was able to change back and be dressed. They had decided that it had to do with being a Master of Hidden Weapons. She knelt down next to Mousse.

The duck-boy, who had been dropped on his back, flipped over onto his stomach. He coughed a few times, and rubbed at his throat, which still bore red impressions of Ranma's fingers. It was then that he noticed the person in front of him. He picked his glasses up off the floor, where they had fallen when he was dropped, and put them on. As the world came into better focus, he recognized her. It was the girl who had been at the restaurant the previous day with Ryoga and that other blond girl. The one who gave him butterflies in his stomach. He looked at the expression on her face. Her eyes were wide with concern, but he, having almost never had anyone concerned for him, misread it as mild disgust. Mousse groaned in embarrassment and pain, crossed his arms in front of him on the floor, and flopped his head down on them.

Ranma, however, was not yet finished with his little "demonstration." He picked up a leftover glass of water from one of the tables and poured it over the young man lying prostrate on the floor with his head on his arms. A little white duck with glasses was again sitting in a puddle of water. It quacked weakly, and remained flopped on its stomach with its wings spread out.

Erin was quite annoyed with Ranma. She gave him a withering look. "Good for you," she said sarcastically. "You know how to activate and deactivate Jusenkyo curses."

Ranma stared at her in amazement. How did she know what it was?

"Of course," she continued, her voice growing louder, "I suppose that skill does come in handy when you want to turn back into a GUY!"

By the last word, she was practically yelling. She jumped up, grabbed a pitcher of water that was on the nearby counter, and unceremoniously emptied the contents on Ranma's head.

"Hey!" complained a female voice. "What'd ya do that for?"

"It served you right," Erin told girl-type Ranma without the least bit of sympathy. "What you just did to Mousse was really cruel."

She bent down and scooped the stunned duck off the floor, and, cradling it gently in her arms, she walked out.

Ranma stood there for a second, wiping the water out of "his" eyes, and processing what had just happened. The teenaged martial artist stared at the purple-haired Amazon standing next to him, then, pointing through the glass door at the retreating figure of Erin, he said incredulously, "She just insulted me."

Shampoo blinked twice, then nodded.

Turning, Ranma shoved open the door of the Neko Hanten and ran out into the street. "Wait a second!" he yelled after Erin.

She stopped and turned around to face the irate guy/girl. Ranma pointed a finger at her. Without even stopping to consider if she was a martial artist as well, he cried out, "I challenge you!"

She stared at him blankly for a moment, then smirked.

"And, I refuse," she stated blandly. "Have a nice day." Then, she muttered under her breath, "Oh, who am I kidding. Have an awful day."

She turned once more, and walked off, leaving an absolutely flabbergasted Ranma standing in the street, one arm still extended.

"She…she turned me down! Can she do that?"

Shampoo stared at him, then at Erin who turned the corner at the end of the street and disappeared from sight. Looking back at her «airen», she grasped his problem. NO ONE had ever simply refused his challenge. In his mind, (small though it may be) she had affronted his honor. By her refusal, she was saying that fighting him was below her standards. Of course, Shampoo had a feeling that Erin was not a martial artist; Ranma had simply assumed that she was, because of her boldness, and the fact that they were in Nerima, after all.

At first, Shampoo was angry that the American girl had insulted her "beloved husband." Then, as she thought about it, her anger turned to mild displeasure coupled with respect. After all, Erin had managed to do something that almost nobody, even Shampoo herself, had ever really done and gotten away with. She had left Ranma speechless…a rare occurrence. Of course, no physical fighting had been done, but Erin had clearly emerged the victor of the first round.

Ranma was busy debating whether or not he should go after the strange American girl who liked Mousse (a completely foreign idea in itself), when Shampoo tugged on his sleeve.

"Ranma, Shampoo think you have bigger problem coming."

Ranma turned. A familiar blue-clothed figure was racing down the street towards him, arms outstretched.

"Pig-Tailed Girl!" it called.

"Aaaaaah," yelled Ranma. "Nooooooo!"

Shampoo watched as the martial artist turned tail, and proceeded to run as fast as possible, in the complete opposite direction.

After Erin had walked about a block, Mu Mu-Chan rejoined the world of the cognizant. He was having trouble remembering what had just happened to him. He recalled going to the Tendo Dojo to challenge Ranma, being chased down the street, and being splashed by that "evil" old washerwoman. Beyond that, things got a little hazy.

"_Let's see, Ranma jumped me at the Neko Hanten, and then…Oh, my…_" he thought in humiliation as everything came flooding back to him. He raised his head to look at the one carrying him. She was humming softly, and had yet to notice that he was awake.

"_She must hate me_," he thought. "_She's probably furious because I didn't tell her I turned into a duck._"

Never mind the fact that they had just met, and it is not exactly the first thing you would be telling to a total stranger. There was absolutely no logic behind his assumption, but Mousse was used to dealing with the people in Nerima, and as we all know, they do not exactly tend to be the most reasonable bunch. Also, Mousse had since heard what had happened when Akane found out about Ryoga's curse, and it made him worry all the more.

"_I wonder where she's taking me? What if…what if she's planning on _eating_ me?_"

With each passing moment, Mousse's imagination ran further away with him. Soon he was having horrible fantasies about being plucked and skewered and roasted.

"Quack!" he cried out in distress, and began beating his wings frantically, trying to squirm out of her arms.

Erin looked down at the suddenly spastic duck she was holding. If it carried on like this for much longer, it was going to hurt itself.

"«Good grief!» It's «O.K.» Settle down, Mousse. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise."

She pinned his wings against his body with one hand, and used the other to softly stroke his head. She was not sure he would appreciate that, but could think of nothing else to do at the moment. It seemed to work… At least, he was not hyperventilating anymore. The duck still appeared very disturbed however. She hurried the last block to the building where she and Jesse lived. She carefully freed one hand to unlock the door, and went inside. She trotted up the stairs, two at a time, and walked into the apartment.

Setting the apprehensive duck on the couch, she disappeared into the back of the apartment, calling over her shoulder, "Don't you go anywhere."

Mousse did not dare; he was too worried for his safety to do anything that might displease her any further. He stayed rooted to the spot until she came back a few minutes later. She stood in front of him, and motioned for him to follow. He stared at her in confusion. Did she actually expect him to walk to his execution? Backing himself up against the couch, he briefly considered making a run for it, but decided she would catch him before he got to the door, which was locked anyway. His moment of hesitation gave Erin an opening, and she reached forward and snatched the fowl off the sofa.

«You are so very odd, Mousse,» she muttered in English. Then, «You'd think he was expecting me to assault him or something.»

She shook her head. Unfortunately for Mousse, the only word he had been able to understand was his name.

"_This is the end_," he thought. "_I am going to die_."

Erin carried him, much to his surprise, into the bathroom. She set him down on the side of the bathtub, which she had partially filled with warm water. Flopping a towel down next to him, she turned around to leave.

"I'll be waiting for you in the living room."

Mu Mu-Chan watched her go out and shut the door behind herself. How could she possibly know what to do for his Jusenkyo curse? His life was getting more confusing by the minute. He had expected her to cream him for hiding his curse from her. Instead, she was actually being very nice to him, now that he thought about it.

After putting his robe and things on the floor, he jumped into the water and almost instantly felt his body change into its normal form. He sighed softly and stood up. After drying off and getting dressed, he opened the door. With a deep breath, he walked out into the living room, not quite sure what to expect when he got there.

After going to the market to get something to munch on, Ryoga and Jesse decided to go back to the girls' apartment to look for Erin, and then go to see a movie. Jesse was, however, fully immersed in telling Ryoga about her evil ferret, Lilith, and so she failed to notice that the way they were going would not get them where they wanted to go. Around ten minutes later, they were standing in front of the Tendo dojo. Ryoga looked around in confusion.

"Oops," he muttered in frustration. "I did it again."

Jesse turned to look at the "Eternal Lost Boy." "Um, two questions. Where are we, and how did we get here?"

Ryoga glanced at his new girlfriend sheepishly. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I sort of got us lost."

"Sort of?"

"Yeah, well, I know where we are, it's just not where we wanted to go…"

"Alrighty then, where are we?"

"We're at the Tendo's residence and dojo," he informed her. "This is where Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo live."

"So, how do we get back to where it is we're supposed to be?"

Ryoga paused to consider the question. As he was thinking, a familiar person exited the house whose yard they were standing in. It was Ranma, still damp from having just changed back from his cursed form. Ryoga and Jesse both looked up upon his arrival.

Ranma was scowling; he was having a bad day. First, Mousse had challenged him, disrupting his lunch, then, he had been insulted and his challenge refused by some strange American girl, then, Tatewaki Kuno had chased him. Now, to top it all off, here was Ryoga, standing on the lawn, probably wanting to pick a fight with him. Ranma decided the best thing to do would be to make the first move.

He rushed at Ryoga, yelling, "I challenge you! Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

Jesse performed a rather remarkable horizontal leap to avoid Ranma as he charged her boyfriend. Ryoga, confused though he still was, is still one of the best fighters in Nerima. He dodged Ranma's attack and cried out, "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

The resulting blast showered all three of them with pebbles and dust, and left a rather spacious hole in the Tendo's front yard. It also caused a lot of noise. Nabiki and Kasumi appeared in the doorway to the house. Fortunately for Ryoga, Akane had been sent on an errand.

"Shishi Hôkôdan!" yelled the Lost Boy.

"Aaaaaaaah," cried Ranma as he threw himself out of the way of the blast, which took out the tree he had been standing in front of.

Kasumi's eyes got slightly wider than usual. She put her hand to her mouth in a ladylike gesture of surprise.

"Oh, my," she commented lamely, as usual.

Ranma, who was starting to get annoyed at Ryoga for…well, mostly for just being in his range of vision, gave a wild war whoop, and launched himself at Ryoga.

"Hey!" yelled Jesse, as Ranma and Ryoga tumbled to the ground in a tangled heap of arms and legs. "You get off my Ryo-Chan, Ranma Saotome!"

Both boys turned at her outburst.

"It's all right, J-Chan. I'll defeat him," Ryoga assured her, as he jumped up. Pulling one of his bandannas off, he whipped it once; it became stiff, like a knife. He swung around to face Ranma. The other martial artist, however, had other plans. He decided on his final attack, and called it.

"Mouko Takabisha…Confidence Blast!"

Ryoga was caught off-guard as the blast of chi energy struck him in the chest, sending him flying backwards…right into the fishpond.

"Bweeeee!" cried P-Chan, struggling to get out of the water.

Ranma grinned. "Heh, that's what ya get for gettin' in my way, pork-butt."

Behind Ranma, Jesse was fuming. She decided that Ranma Saotome had just effectively put himself on the top of her "People Who Really Tick Me Off" list. She looked around as she thought, "_So, Ranma likes the 'Anything Goes' style, does he? Well, let's see how _this_ goes over_." Scooping up a large rock left over from Ryoga's Breaking Point Technique, she called over to Ranma.

"Hey, Fem-Boy! Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to gloat!"

Jesse hurled the rock at Ranma's head. The Japanese boy turned to look at whoever had just dared to insult him in that manner…and ended up with a stone embedded in his face. He tumbled over into the pond, waving his arms about wildly.

"Ittai!" he squealed. His cry was immediately followed by a loud "splash!" as he connected with the water. After a few seconds, girl-type Ranma floated to the surface, and remained bobbing up and down in blissful unconsciousness.

"Humph!" muttered Jesse, walking over and picking P-Chan out of the fishpond. "It served you right."

Turning on her heel, she stalked off in the general direction she and Ryoga had come from, leaving Kasumi and Nabiki standing on the porch.

"Well," Nabiki said dryly, "I'd say it's American Girl, one, Ranma, zilch."

"Goodness!" said Kasumi.

Erin walked out into her living room to wait for Mousse to change back into a person. She plopped down on the couch, picked up one of her science fiction books from a nearby coffee table, and began reading. However, her thoughts soon began drifting back to what had happened at the Neko Hanten. After all, it is not every day you get to see someone turn into a duck, or someone else switch gender.

"_Jesse and Ryoga really were telling the truth_," she thought to herself. "_They really do have those strange curses. I wonder why they never went back to Jusenkyo while it still existed?_"

The longer she waited, the more her mind wandered. She had just begun to wonder whether Mousse felt the urge to fly south for the winter when he was in his cursed form, or if Shampoo ever felt the need to chase small rodents, when Mousse came out of the bathroom. He had an apprehensive look on his face as he walked across the room towards her. Erin looked up from her book and smiled.

"«Nihao,» Mousse."

"Hello," he replied softly, not looking directly at her.

She tried again. "How's your neck?"

He absently put his fingers to his throat, which was still slightly red from Ranma's abusive treatment.

"It's a little sore," he told her. "_Come on, please. Just hurt me and get it over with_," Mousse thought as he waited for her to start yelling and flinging things at him as Shampoo did.

Erin was getting slightly frustrated with his lack of conversational interest. Putting her book down on the table, she asked, "Would you like to sit down for a minute?"

Mousse looked at her for the first time since coming out. She did not look angry at all, or even slightly annoyed. He stared at the young lady sitting in front of him. In fact, he was unsure what exactly the look on her face _did_ mean. She was still smiling at him, and for the first time in the last fifteen years of his life, he forgot about Shampoo.

Erin gestured at the place next to her on the couch. For a moment, she did not think he was going to accept. Much to her surprise, and delight, he walked over and sat beside her. She could barely see his eyes through his thick glasses, but could easily sense the questioning look he was giving her. She raised her eyebrows in the universal gesture meaning, "well?" and waited for him to say something.

Finally, he spoke. "You…you aren't…angry with me?"

Erin just about fell off the couch. "Angry? Why on earth should I be angry with you?"

"Because," he began hesitantly, "I didn't tell you that I turned into a duck."

In her opinion, his comment sounded more like a question than a statement.

"Of course I'm not mad at you. I mean, it's not like I would expect you to just walk up to random people you've never seen before in your life and say, 'Hi, my name is Mousse, and I turn into a little white duck because I accidentally fell into a cursed puddle. May I take your order?' It's not exactly something you would just share with a stranger. It could get you into trouble."

He nodded numbly. "_She's really not angry with me. She actually sounds rather…rather concerned for my well being. I wonder…_" Here his train of thought picked up on something else she had said. He pushed his glasses up onto his head and stared at the blurry outline of the person he was talking to.

"How do you know about Jusenkyo?"

She looked slightly sheepish as she replied. "Well, my cousin's suddenly going out with Ryoga, and on their first date, he just blurted out that he turned into a piglet. Then, he took her to his house and showed her. He also said a lot of other things about pandas and ducks and girls and cats and water, and, well, she came home that night and woke me up trying to tell me everything. This morning, we went to Ryoga's house and he gave us the lowdown on Jusenkyo, and the different people with curses, and some other things. That's also how I knew who Ranma was, and that he turned into girl."

Mousse just stared at her for a second.

"You rescued me from Ranma."

"I was afraid he was going to strangle you to death!"

The cursed Chinese boy smiled a little. "Sometimes I wonder…" Then, "Why did you bring me here instead of getting hot water from the Neko Hanten?"

"Two reasons. One, I wasn't entirely sure that Shampoo would give it to me, and, two," and here, she grinned, "if I had stayed any longer, I might not have been able to resist the temptation to stick a pair of chopsticks up Ranma's nose!"

Mousse laughed at the extremely undignified mental picture her words conjured up; it was something he did not do very often.

"That would have been quite interesting."

"Ranma probably wouldn't have appreciated it very much, but he strikes me as the kind of person who periodically needs to be put back in his place."

"May I ask why you were at the Neko Hanten to begin with?"

Erin briefly wondered which parts of her visit she should reveal. She decided that honesty was the best policy, just not in very complete detail. "Actually, I was looking for you."

"Me?" he asked incredulously. "Why would you be looking for me?"

She looked at him, and then said something that no one had ever said to him before.

"Because…I want to be your friend."

Utter silence. When Mousse finally spoke, his words came out as more of a squeak than he probably would have liked.

"Really?"

Erin nodded. Mousse was truly confused. He was so used to being considered an annoyance, and being in the way of Cologne's plans for getting Ranma to wed Shampoo, that he was completely unprepared for the thought of someone actually wanting to know him, and spend time with him.

"Why do you want to be my friend?" he queried, still skeptical, wondering if maybe someone—like Cologne—had put her up to this to keep him occupied for a while, while some devious scheme was being plotted in his absence.

"I like you," she told him bluntly. "You seem like a really nice guy, and I wanted to get to know you better."

Of course, the other thing going through her mind was, "_And you're really cute_!" but she decided that it might be wiser to leave that part out for now. Mousse was, after all, still having problems just grasping the basic concept she was trying to convey.

"Even though I turn into a duck, and…and I can't see very well?"

"Yes, even though you turn into a duck," Erin assured him. "As to the vision impairment, so what? It doesn't make you any less of a person."

"_And you look really adorable with your glasses_!" she thought to herself.

Mousse was about to ask another question, when someone began banging on the front door; from the decibel level, a seemingly very annoyed person. Both Mousse and Erin turned at the noise.

"Who is that?" asked Mousse.

"I'm not sure, but I have an idea."

Erin stood up and walked over to the front door. After looking through the peephole, she unlocked and opened the door while saying, "Forget your key, honey?"

Jesse was standing in the doorway looking peeved. It was then that Erin noticed the damp piglet with the yellow bandanna that her cousin was holding. Resisting the urge to ask if they had tried to go frolicking in someone's sprinklers, she moved aside to let Jesse come in.

"You know what?" Jesse began.

Erin waited for her to finish. She was not disappointed.

"Ranma is a major jerk!" her cousin complained.

"I had noticed that," Erin replied. Then, looking at the miserable pig, she continued, "There's already hot water in the bathtub."

Jesse gave her a questioning stare. "Why would that be?"

Erin simply pointed to the couch. Jesse noticed the very confused Chinese boy sitting there, for the first time since she had come in.

"Oh," she commented. Then, grinning evilly, she inquired in English, «So Eri-Chan, you had a successful hunting expedition, I see.»

Much to the surprise of both young men, but not Jesse, Erin stuck her tongue out and made a face. Having then finished her little display, she crossed her arms and muttered in English, «Oh, go dunk your boyfriend! I'm sure he's sick of being a pig, and unable to talk.»

«Well…well, piff!» snorted Jesse, using her personal word of botheration.

She then stalked off into the bathroom, all the while muttering things about rocks and ponds and the unfairness of life.

Erin switched back to Japanese.

"Well," she said to Mousse as she leaned her elbows on the back of the couch, "it would appear that Ranma was certainly making a general annoyance of himself today."

The young man looked up at her and nodded. "And, if your cousin is anything like you, I wonder what Ranma's day was like."

Erin smiled at the thought of Ranma having a crazy day because of the two of them. "Actually, she's not really _very_ much like me, aside from the fact that she protects the people she likes. She lives in her world, I live in mine; we just have a constant wormhole connection going."

Although the science fiction allusion was totally lost on him, Mousse still smiled a little at the thought of being one of the people that Erin liked. It made him feel wanted, more so in fact than he had felt during his whole life.

A few minutes later, Jesse and Ryoga came back into the living room, where Erin was back on the couch talking to Mousse.

"Hey, Mousse," Jesse greeted as she and Ryoga seated themselves on the loveseat. Erin pried the story of their day out of them, and shared most of hers. Then, with a mildly nosy expression, Jesse queried, "So, what were you two talking about?"

Erin's look told her that the topic had not been marriage arrangements.

"Stuff," she informed Jesse noncommittally. "We've already heard Ryoga's view of life in Nerima, and I asked Mousse if he'd share his. After all, I'm sure there have been at least a few things that happened to him while Ryoga wasn't around. Right, Mousse?"

The young man nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"Oh," Jesse said, "just whatever interesting things you've encountered, stuff like that."

"Alright…"

Mousse spent the next two hours telling them about his childhood in the Amazon village, and being rejected by Shampoo just about every day since he was three. He described his opinion of Ranma and Cologne, his view of life in Nerima, and all the things that he could think of that had happened to him while Ryoga was elsewhere. Some of the most notable being his first fights with Ranma, his attempt to kidnap Akane, when Shampoo had tried to kill him, and the near-disaster with the Reversal Gem. Then, he recounted his part in stopping the Togenkyo bride-nappings, including his fight with the feather-dart flinging birdman. He also told them about his strange encounter with a statue that had made itself look exactly like Shampoo to repay him for a "kindness" he had done for it, and then dated him for a week, before turning into a Ranma look-alike for Shampoo.

"The fight that followed is probably the closest I have ever come to besting Ranma Saotome in battle," Mousse concluded.

"What happened?" asked Erin.

Mousse looked down. "Shampoo tricked me into thinking she liked me, just so I wouldn't defeat Ranma. It distracted me for long enough that I passed out, since I hadn't slept in a week."

Erin made an unusual noise that sounded particularly displeased. "How heartless!"

Mousse could not think of anything to say in Shampoo's defense. Jesse decided to change the subject a little.

"Mousse," Jesse began, "Apparently Shampoo's constant rejection isn't getting through to you, but has she ever actually just told you how she feels about you?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, she screams that she hates me, and she hits me a lot, but someday she just has to realize that I love her."

With a "you-are-so-deluded" look on her face, Jesse stated, "I don't think "realizing" is the problem. She would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not realize how you feel, I just think that she doesn't care."

Mousse was suddenly very interested in a thread on the sleeve of his robe, and became all consumed with studying it intently. Jesse rolled her eyes at his denial. She did not really feel one way or the other about him, but her cousin cared for him. So, she decided to try and play matchmaker. Now all she needed was a strategy. One was not forthcoming.

"Ryoga and I are going to go outside on the porch," she announced abruptly. "I'll see you later, Mousse."

"Good-bye, Jesse-san," he said affably.

"Oh," she said, stopping her movement to the patio door and turning around. "I think you should talk to Shampoo, when she's in a good mood, and just ask her how she truly feels about you, without all the yelling, and screaming, and hurting."

Then, having shared her nugget of wisdom for the day, she turned, took Ryoga by the arm, and dragged him out to the porch.

After they had disappeared, Erin turned to Mousse and said gently, "I think she's right about Shampoo. You should talk to her sometime, when you're pretty sure she won't get angry over just your presence."

He shrugged his shoulders and murmured, "I guess so."

Then, he cocked his head to one side, as if listening to something far away.

"What do you hear, Mousse?"

"I don't know… It sounds, umm, unusual."

Erin started hearing it, too. It was something between a smacking and a giggling noise. "_No_," she re-thought, "_I can hear both sounds_." At first, it sounded distant, but then she realized that it was merely muffled. All of a sudden, she knew what it was. She put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle of her own. Mousse gave her a confused look.

"I think I know what it is."

Jesse pulled Ryoga out onto the patio with her, then closed the glass door. The curtains inside swung shut part of the way, obscuring their view of the living room, and the view of anyone inside trying to look out. Jesse smiled at her boyfriend, and placed his arm around her shoulders. Ryoga was starting to blush. He had always had trouble expressing any kind of romantic feelings. He looked at her and found her staring directly into his eyes. He had forgotten that she was only about half an inch shorter than he was. She suddenly grinned at him, put her arms around his neck, and pulled him towards her.

"Anata ga suki desu," she whispered.

Ryoga's eyes widened as she leaned forward and kissed him. He was in shock for a moment. Then, he found himself closing his eyes and returning her kiss. It was Jesse's first kiss. It was Ryoga's first real kiss, as well, not counting Ranma's tricks, or that unfortunate incident with the over appreciative piglet. He pulled back after another moment.

"I love you, too," he murmured. Jesse giggled, and they started kissing again.

Erin stood up quietly as Mousse stared at her with a questioning look on his face. She put her finger to her lips and whispered, "Shhhh…" She tiptoed to the patio curtains, crouched down, and peered around the edge. All the while, Mousse was staring at her like she had lost her mind.

"What are you _doing_?"

She turned back to face him. "I was right."

He decided to rephrase the question. "What are _they_ doing?"

Erin looked outside once more, then at the young man on the sofa. With a grin she replied, "They're _kissing_!"

The Chinese boy's eyebrows went up. He stood and walked over to Erin, and leaned over her to look out the window. Jesse and Ryoga were kissing, with their eyes closed, and their arms around each other. Erin smiled at Mousse, and he smiled back. Then letting go of the curtain, she pulled on Mousse's robe sleeve, and dragged him back to the couch.

Erin turned to him with her version of a "serious" expression and said, "They are demonstrating the first rule of kissing."

Mousse blinked. "And, what would that be?"

"Never trust anyone who doesn't close their eyes when you kiss them."

"Oh…all right."

Just then, he saw the clock on the wall. He had been there for over three hours.

"I think I need to get back to work. Cologne will get angry with me if I'm gone too long."

"Well, I certainly don't want that," Erin responded with all seriousness. "Come on, I'll walk you out."

She stood up and waited for him to get to his feet.

"You didn't leave any weapons or anything in the bathroom, did you?"

Mousse smiled and shook his head. "No, I have everything I came with."

They walked to the door together, and she opened it for him. He stepped out. Erin expected him to maybe wave and walk away. Instead, he just stood outside the door looking rather lonely and confused. In truth, although he had not even left yet, he was already missing her. He did not want to leave to go back to the Neko Hanten. He even found himself dreading seeing Shampoo, especially after how well Erin treated him. So, he just stood there, knowing he needed to go, but not able to leave.

Erin watched him for a second, as a plaintive look came into his eyes. Without even thinking about it, she stepped forward impulsively. Mousse stood still as she came up to him, and put her arms around him, and hugged him gently. He hugged her back. She let go, but left her hand on his shoulder.

"Sayônara, Mousse-chan. I'll see you later, «O.K.»?"

He nodded. "Thank you for everything, and…and for being my friend."

She smiled and squeezed his arm softly, then let go. He did not look quite as lonesome anymore.

«Bye,» she said as he turned and walked down the stairs.

At the bottom door, he paused to look back. She was still standing at the top, smiling at him. He smiled a small smile, and walked outside to go back to work. He could not have explained how he felt if his life had depended on it. All he knew is that he felt something about her that he had never felt for anyone before. She was special, and he wanted to stay close to her.

Erin watched until after he had shut the door downstairs, and she could no longer see him. Then, after waiting a few more seconds just to be sure he was not going to come back in, she turned and walked back into the apartment, shutting and locking the door behind her. She smiled to herself, then called towards the patio door.

"I'll see you later, Ryoga. Have a great day «ya'll»!"

Then, she walked through the living room, grabbing her book on the way, and went into her bedroom to read.

After kissing, Jesse and Ryoga sat down next to each other on the floor. She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he put his arm around her.

"_Wow_," he thought, "_I've never felt this way before about anyone…even Akane. I want to keep her forever_." Of course, the next thing that popped into his mind was asking her to marry him, but he decided that it was probably a little too soon for that, to say the least. After all, they had not known each other for that long, and Nerima did not exactly have a reputation for bringing out the best in marriage arrangements. Also, he was unsure she would appreciate it if he proposed. However, he certainly did not eliminate the option for the future…

An hour or so later, just after the sunset, Ryoga asked Jesse if she would walk him home. After all, it just would not do to have him wander off to Kyoto by mistake. When they got to his house, they kissed goodnight, and Jesse promised to call him in the morning.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ryo-Chan."

"Thank you, J-Chan, for the most wonderful night of my life so far."

She smiled, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and ran off into the encroaching darkness.

When she got home, she found Erin sitting on her bed, waiting for her. Jesse plopped down on her own bed and sighed.

«I love Japan!» Jesse gushed, in English.

Erin grinned. «I don't think the country enters into it.»

Jesse smirked and then rolled onto her stomach. "Girl talk" commenced, and continued unimpeded for about four hours. They talked about Jesse's day, and Erin told Jesse all the details of her previously vague description of her visit to the Neko Hanten. After they had gotten ready for bed, and turned off the lights, Erin turned toward Jesse's general direction and said, «I think I really like Mousse.»

Jesse muttered, «Well, duh.»

Smiling, Erin finished, «He's really very sweet, and completely adorable.»

Jesse rolled her eyes at her cousin's dark shape. «I think he's a little strange. I mean, what kind of a name is 'Mousse.' But, if you like him, I'll play nice. Heh…»

«Oh, really?» Erin retorted. Waxing sarcastic, she commented, «And turning into a little black piglet is just dead average, huh?»

«Well…well, piff!»

«That's about what I thought.» Then, «You know, Jess, Ryoga's pretty nice. And his fangs are kinda cute. You two make a nice couple. Just thought you should know that. Good-night!»

«'Night!» Jesse said. Then she added, «I bet you and Mousse would look pretty cute, too.»

«Hmmm…» Erin mused.

It was after dusk when Mousse came running up to the Neko Hanten. He slipped in as quietly as he could, hoping that maybe Cologne and Shampoo would fail to notice how late he got back. Fortunately for him, Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran had recently gone back to China, so he had two less Amazons to worry about spotting him. Unfortunately, the second he went in, he discovered a very peeved-looking Shampoo standing right in front of him, along with Cologne up on her stick, her arms crossed and a look of doom on her withered face.

"Uh-oh…" he groaned.

"Well," Cologne started. "Haven't we just had a wonderful time running all over creation?"

Mousse resisted the urge to tell her that, yes, he did have a wonderful time, but no, he had actually been pretty stationary the whole time. However, he figured that would just get him into more trouble.

"Where you been?" Shampoo demanded. "Shampoo have dishpan hands from doing Duck-Boy's job all day long. What you thinking?"

Mousse stared at the floor. He was not exactly sure how Shampoo would respond to news of where he had been and who he had been with.

"Well, I…uh…" he stuttered.

Cologne interjected, "Spill it, Mister Part-time. And I want the truth." Privately, she wondered why he was having such trouble answering. Usually, he was out trying to defeat Ranma, and he never minded admitting it, and then, of course, he usually tried to glomp Shampoo and tell her how she was going to be his bride. And, the cycle of pain would begin. This time, however, she was beginning to think that was not what he had been doing.

He sighed, and then muttered, "I was with Erin. She took me to her house after she, um, 'removed' me from the Neko Hanten. I've been there for the past few hours."

Mousse was sure he was in deep trouble. He just about fell over in shock when Cologne smiled and said, "She's such a nice girl. You should spend lots of time at her house, and she can come here any time she wants. Good-night, Mousse."

Even Shampoo lost the evil glint in her eyes. In fact, she was practically bouncing with barely containable glee. "Ooh, Mousse," she squealed, "Shampoo hope you had wonderful time with strange American girl. You going see her lots, yes! Shampoo want you be with her all time! 'Night!"

Mousse just stood there in dumbfounded confusion as Shampoo bounced up the stairs after her great-grandmother. Mousse had not seen her that happy in months. He was at a complete and total loss as to why neither one of the Amazons had pounded him into the ground, or even seemed at all annoyed after he told them where he was. Upstairs, he could hear Shampoo prattling on in gleeful, singsong Chinese, something about love and freedom.

He stared at the stairs in shock, and muttered, "Huh!"

Not early the next morning, while Erin went out to get groceries, Jesse decided to pay a visit to Shampoo. She had, at around four in the morning, come up with a way to get Mousse and Erin together…she hoped. Of course, it rather depended on whether or not Shampoo really wanted to get rid of "Stupid Blind Duck-Boy," but Erin's cousin had a feeling that she would.

Jess arrived about ten minutes before the breakfast crowd would. She walked into the restaurant and waited for someone to notice her. From where she was positioned, she could see Mousse standing at the sink in the kitchen, with his sleeves rolled up, washing dishes. He was humming, which struck Jesse as rather odd for him, even though she did not know him very well. After a couple of minutes, Shampoo came into the room and saw her.

«Nihao!» Shampoo greeted. "What Shampoo can do for you?"

"Actually," Jesse said, doing her best to look convincing, "I think there's something I could do for you."

"What that?"

"How would you like to get rid of Mousse for good?"

Shampoo eyed her skeptically. On the one hand, she was not sure she believed that Jesse was sincere, but on the other, getting rid of Mousse had always been at the forefront of her mind. She asked, "How much strange American hit-woman asking?"

Jesse almost fell over when she realized how her comment had come across. She waved her arms as she hissed, "Noooo! That's not what I meant! I'm not gonna kill him, I just think I have a way to get him to stop following you all around and everything."

"Oh," Shampoo said, sounding mildly disappointed. "What way that? Shampoo still maybe interested."

"Well…"

She spent the next fifteen minutes telling Shampoo about her theory that if she would just talk to Mousse without interludes of screaming and hitting and hurting, and simply explain that she didn't, couldn't, wouldn't ever love him, maybe he would finally get the point. She finished by telling her that as soon as he realized that she was not an option, maybe he would notice the way Erin felt about him.

"I mean, after all," Jess concluded, "what could it hurt?"

Shampoo thought for a second, then decided. "Shampoo try your way. If not work, Shampoo no worse."

"Great! See you later."

Shampoo turned and began walking back upstairs to get her apron. As she passed the kitchen, she thought she heard humming. She peered in, and was rather surprised to find that Mousse was the source of the noise. He was still washing dishes, enveloped in his own little bubble of bliss, completely oblivious to the rest of the world. "_Hmm_," Shampoo thought as she watched him work, "_He much happier than usua_l." She turned back to the stairs. "_He off key, too_."

Jesse smiled triumphantly. "_This had better work_!" she thought. "_Otherwise, I might have to resort to physical persuasion. Heh, heh_…" Then, she spun on her heel, and walked off to go see if Ryoga was available to play.

Shampoo watched her leave. "Hmm," she mused. "Maybe if Shampoo get rid of Mousse, Ranma take Shampoo!" Of course, her logic was quite flawed, but her invalid conclusion caused her to decide to go along with Jesse's scheme. Now the only thing lacking was Mousse's cooperation, but Jesse had figured that she should let him talk to Shampoo when he could get up the courage on his own. As it turned out, they did not have long to wait.

Later that day, after the lunch crowd had left the Neko Hanten, Shampoo and Mousse were cleaning tables together. Well, "together" only in the sense that they were in the same room. As usual, Shampoo was ignoring Mousse to the best of her ability. Mousse, however, had his mind on other things, namely, what Jesse and Erin had said about Shampoo. He had never really stopped to think about the way she treated him before. He had always just ignored it, hoping that someday she would love him, too. The more he thought about it though, the more he began to wonder if she was playing hard to get, or if she really did not want to be gotten. At least, not by him.

He looked up from the table he was wiping, and watched for a moment as Shampoo worked. "_Maybe I should just ask her_," he thought silently. "_After all, what else could she do to me that she hasn't already tried?_" He remembered the way Erin had treated him, and wished that Shampoo would treat him that way. "Even half that kindly would be nice," he muttered.

Shampoo turned around. "What you mumbling, Mousse?" she demanded, with her usual lack of tact.

Caught off guard, the Chinese boy quickly replied, "Oh, uh, nothing, nothing at all. Eh-heh…"

"Hmph!" Shampoo sniffed as she went back to collecting dishes.

"_Coward_," Mousse thought to himself. "_Why won't you just ask her_!"

The Amazon finished stacking the dishes, and began to carry them to the kitchen. She was about halfway to the door when Mousse finally decided he could not take the wondering anymore.

"Shampoo!" he blurted, rather surprised with himself. "May I ask you a question?"

Shampoo set the dishes on the nearby counter, and turned to face him. "What you want, Mousse?"

"Shampoo, do you love me?"

"No!"

His face fell a little. "Could you ever love me?"

The Chinese Amazon felt the urge to scream "stupid!" and smack him with something, but in deference to her agreement with Jesse, she refrained…barely.

"Shampoo no ever love you, Mousse. Shampoo love Ranma."

Mousse was getting desperate. "But, what if I defeated Ranma, then could you—"

"You not ever beat Ranma," she interjected. "Ranma too strong, he beat even Shampoo!"

"But…but what if one day I could—"

Shampoo did not even let him finish the sentence; she could not stand it anymore. She hoped that Jesse knew what she was talking about, because she would only allow this once. As it was, it was already taking all her willpower to just keep from chucking a nearby kettle at his head.

"Stop it!" Shampoo yelled. "Shampoo no love you now, Shampoo no love you ever! Shampoo no care if you beat Ranma; Shampoo no care if you beat Shampoo, too. It not make difference. Shampoo still love Ranma!"

Mousse's eyes were wide, and his mouth was hanging slightly open in shock. But Shampoo was not finished yet.

"Shampoo not even care if you beat whole Amazon village, and Great-grandmother! Shampoo still think you stupid, blind duck-boy, and she never want you! Never! Shampoo reject you as suitor for last time."

The previously referred to duck-boy swallowed hard, and blinked back tears, somewhat unsuccessfully. He had been rejected, and it hurt. It hurt more than all the times she had hit him. He felt hated and unwanted, but was still having a hard time grasping the full meaning of her words.

"That's…that's not true!" he cried. "I will beat Ranma! You'll see!"

He dropped the rag he had been wiping the table with, turned, and ran out the door. Or, that is what he tried to do. He sort of bounced off the doorjamb once before he actually got outside. Once out, he took his bicycle, and pedaled off in the direction of the Tendo Dojo, to try to settle an old score.

Shampoo watched him go without the least bit of sorrow or guilt at how she treated him. Cologne came down the stairs and stood next to her great-granddaughter.

"Well," she croaked, "that was quite a display."

"Shampoo not care. Shampoo want him stop chasing!"

Cologne watched the rapidly disappearing form of her long-time problem. "Oh, well," she muttered rather callously. "As dense as that boy can be, it was bound to happen sometime. Maybe this will finally pound some sense into that thick skull of his."

"Hmph!" Shampoo snorted indignantly.

About ten minutes later, Erin, having finished her shopping, arrived at the Neko Hanten. She greeted Shampoo, and then inquired as to Mousse's whereabouts.

"Hmm," Shampoo stalled, "Shampoo no know."

Erin graced her with a disbelieving look. "Oh, really? Are you sure you don't know where he is?"

"Weeell, maybe."

"Do tell."

"Shampoo think he probably go off to fight Ranma. He not doing so good."

Now Erin was interested. "Why would that be?"

Shampoo stared at the floor for a second before answering. "Shampoo tell him how she really feel about him. He start crying and go away. Shampoo think he go challenge Ranma again."

«Oh, boy…» Erin muttered in English. «This is not good.» She looked at Shampoo. "Thanks. If I can't find him, though…I'll be back."

Then, she turned and ran out the door, quite a bit more gracefully than Mousse had. Shampoo wondered briefly if that last part had been a veiled threat, but quickly decided against that, and went back to work.

Mousse pedaled until his legs hurt from overexertion, but he was beyond caring anymore. Now that no one was watching, he was crying openly. He was paying little attention as he swerved, nearly blind, down the street, narrowly missing a telephone pole, a parked car, and a dog. He was not really thinking about what he would do if he failed to beat Ranma. After all, he had never been able to before, but his pent up frustration drove him on. Finally, he arrived at the Tendo Dojo.

Mousse left his bicycle against a tree, and walked up to the front door. He took a deep breath, wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and knocked. Nabiki Tendo opened the door. She stared at him for a minute, taking in his rather disheveled appearance, ragged breathing, and red-rimmed eyes. She also noticed that he looked ready to break something.

"Hmm… I would ask what I could do for you, but it's rather obvious. I'll go get Ranma."

"Thank you," Mousse replied, trying to sound as polite as possible. After all, he had nothing against Nabiki. "I shall wait here if you don't mind."

Nabiki shrugged, and went back into the house. A couple minutes later, Ranma came to the door, eating a rice ball. He raised an eyebrow at the distraught Chinese boy standing outside.

"Wadya want?"

Mousse stabbed a finger at Ranma's chest. "Ranma Saotome, I challenge you, for the final time!"

"Did Shampoo kick ya out again?" Ranma asked while chewing.

Mousse gave him a mildly disgusted look. "Are you refusing my challenge?"

"Not necessarily," he drawled. "I mean, you've never been much more than an annoyance, but I could use an after-lunch practice to help me digest."

Mousse scowled at Ranma's insult. Privately, he wondered if Ranma actually knew anything about the digestion process, or if he had just heard someone else say something similar, and thought it sounded good. He kept this to himself, though, and instead opted for, "Didn't your mother ever teach you to chew with your mouth closed?"

Ranma narrowed his eyes at Mousse, then turned and handed his unfinished rice ball to Nabiki, who had been standing just inside, listening. She took it with two fingers and held it at arm's-length, while staring at it disdainfully.

"Well then," Ranma began, "let's do it."

The two boys walked around to the backyard. Had they been paying attention, they would have noticed Nabiki come to the back door to watch (after having disposed of the aforementioned rice ball, probably in the trash), but they were both preoccupied. Mousse walked about ten feet farther than Ranma, turned, and assumed a fighting stance; Ranma did likewise. As the two martial artists faced off against each other, Akane came out of the house and joined her sister on the porch.

"They at it again?" she asked, sounding rather blasé.

Nabiki did not even glance at her as she replied blandly, "Yep."

As he stood in front of Ranma, Mousse had a feeling that he was unprepared for the impending all-out fight with the best martial artist in Nerima. He was not about to back down now, though.

Ranma could sense his opponent's confidence faltering. "So, duck," he taunted, "are you prepared to die today?"

"No," Mousse replied with as much bravado as he could muster. "But then, I don't intend to be defeated!"

"You ain't got a choice." Ranma snorted. "Enough talk… Mouko Takabisha!"

Mousse barely managed to dodge the blast in time, but did succeed in throwing himself out of the way enough to retaliate with a wave of sharp, pointy objects on chains and sticks, from the sleeves of his robe.

"I've got you now, Ranma!" he yelled.

"Think again!"

Ranma decided to forgo style and live up to the "Anything Goes" part of his learning. He ducked under the barrage of weapons Mousse had sent at him, and launched himself, rather ungracefully, at the Chinese boy. Ranma's feet impacted squarely on Mousse's chest, causing him to fly backwards. Mousse grunted in pain, but used his newly acquired momentum to roll as he landed, placing himself out of Ranma's immediate reach.

Ranma, meanwhile, had jumped to his feet. "Why do ya still bother fightin' me when ya know yer gonna lose?"

Mousse stood and, faster than Ranma could even see, pulled a pair of long, thin spiked claws from out of his robe, and fastened them on the backs on his hands. His adrenaline was pumping, and although a little voice in the back of his head was telling him that this fight was a bad idea, he ignored it. He leaped at Ranma, slashing out with the claws.

"Rrrr…You can't have her!" Mousse cried out. "I won't let you take her from me. I will defeat you, and then Erin will be mine!"

"Huh?" Ranma muttered.

He lacked time to ponder the statement, as Mousse stabbed at him with both arms, overextending himself in the process. Ranma took advantage of the other young man's unbalanced stance, and jumped forward. He caught Mousse's wrists, and pinned them to the ground underneath his knees. Mousse looked up at his restrainer, and, much to his surprise, found Ranma looking back, very confused.

On the porch, Akane was mirroring Ranma's expression. "Did he just say he wanted somebody named Erin?"

Nabiki, who had witnessed the fight between Ranma and Ryoga, had afterward done some "information gathering," and at least knew who Erin was. Even she, though, raised an eyebrow. "Yep."

Ranma stared incredulously into Mousse's face. "Why would I want that crazy American chick?"

Mousse struggled unsuccessfully against Ranma's grip. "Shampoo is not American!"

"Ya didn't say 'Shampoo,'" Ranma replied with mild exasperation.

Now it was Mousse's turn to be confused. "I did say 'Shampoo.' What do you think—"

Ranma cut him off abruptly. "No ya didn't! Ya said 'Erin.'"

Turning his head, Mousse could see Akane and Nabiki on the porch, nodding in affirmation of Ranma's statement. "I…I did?"

The two girls nodded harder. Ranma rolled his eyes, and Mousse used the break in his attention to his own advantage. Shifting his weight to one side, he brought his knee up, and drove it into Ranma's leg. Ranma promptly fell off his catch. As Mousse leaped to his feet and put his claws back into his robe, he thought, "_I said 'Erin?' Where did that come from?_"

He did not have time to contemplate it, though, as Ranma had already stood back up. Mousse, who was tired, not really from the fight, but from emotional exertion, and riding all the way to their house, decided that if he was going to have any chance of winning, he would have to do it soon. Backing up, so as to have room for a running start, he faced Ranma. He crouched, then ran, then leaped into the air, yelling, "Takatsume-ken!"

Three-inch long, curved nails appeared on the bottoms of his shoes as he performed his final attack, Raking Hawk's Talons. Ranma looked up to see sharp metal descending rapidly towards his head.

"GAAAAAH!"

He threw himself out of the way as fast as was humanly possible, or maybe faster. He was not in the mood to be aerated. The other fighter watched in frustration as his opponent dodged his attack. He quickly retracted the spikes, so as not to imbed them in his own feet, and landed in the grass, on his knees, as gently as possible. Ranma saw his opening as Mousse began to stand back up.

As Mousse got to his feet, he began to turn around to face Ranma. However, Ranma did not intend to let him finish. Running towards Mousse, he thought, "_That's it, I've had enough. This is going to end right now_!" In less than a second, Ranma was next to his opponent. He performed a spinning kick that connected with Mousse's exposed side, right under his ribcage. The force of the blow sent Mousse flying. He crashed backwards, striking his head off the stones surrounding the fishpond. The world started spinning.

His glasses had been knocked off when he fell, and his head was throbbing. Mousse saw three Ranmas coming at him. He tried to sit up, but only succeeded in causing reality's gyrations to increase. Before he could react, Ranma was on top of him and had planted a foot firmly on top of his chest, making it slightly harder to breathe. Ranma leaned down a little, and said, "You lose, duck-boy."

"Nnngh, I'm not beaten yet…"

"How do ya want me to convince ya?" Ranma asked. "I could knock ya out, ya know."

Mousse glared daggers at Ranma, since he could not get to any of his real ones. He grabbed Ranma's ankle, and tried to shove the other boy off. It did not work; he lacked the leverage to remove him.

"Ya said this would be the last time ya'd challenge me, so I wanna hear ya say it."

"Say what?" Mousse snarled.

"Say, 'I concede.'"

On the porch, both Akane and Nabiki registered surprise. "Poor Mousse," murmured Akane.

"Fine," Mousse said. "You concede."

Ranma scowled at the overpowered Chinese boy on the ground, and increased the pressure on his chest. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. Now, SAY IT!"

"FINE!" Mousse cried out, anguish seeping into his tone. "I…I…conce—"

"STOP!" yelled a new voice.

Akane turned to Nabiki. "Who is that!"

Nabiki looked mildly amused. "That is Erin."

"Oh."

Ranma turned his head, and saw the same American girl from the other day standing about fifteen feet away. She had one of Mousse's many weapons in her hand, a long stick with a wooden globe covered in protrusions of various sizes on the end.

"I shall use small words with few syllables, so that you can understand. Do not hit, punch, kick, sock, maim, mangle, beat, smack, thunk, or otherwise hurt Mousse ever again. Got it? It could be bad for your continued well-being."

Ranma stared at her for a second. "And what are _you_ gonna do about it?"

Much to his surprise, she hauled back and yelled, "Ranma, prepare to be defeated!"

He watched in shock as she actually threw it at him. Ranma quickly assumed the best blocking stance he could manage under the circumstances, careful to keep one foot on Mousse. The weapon flew through the air with the greatest of ease, Ranma twitched, and the weapon connected…with the ground about a foot and a half to the pigtailed martial artist's right.

Ranma straightened up and looked at the weapon lying on the ground next to him. "HA!" he laughed haughtily. "Ya completely missed me!"

Erin, however, simply leaned back, crossed her arms, and arched an eyebrow. Smirking, she asked, "And what makes you so sure that I intended to hit you?"

A confused look flitted across Ranma's face. "Huh?"

All of a sudden, he felt the pressure ease off his ankle. "_Uh, oh_!" he thought. He swung back around, a little too late, as Mousse, newly armed, swung the weapon in an upward arc. It caught Ranma upside the head with a mighty thock, sending him flying into the fishpond…for the second time in the last two days.

"Hmmm," Nabiki commented. "This is becoming a habit."

Erin waved to the two girls standing on the porch as she calmly walked over to Mousse. She leaned down, and offered her hand to him. As he still had a pounding headache, he accepted her assistance in standing. After he was back on his feet, he turned and looked at Ranma, who was again unconscious, floating gracefully across the surface of the pond, exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.

Nabiki turned to go back into the house, now that things had quieted down. "Why weren't we alerted about the American invasion?" she asked her sister sarcastically.

Akane shook her head. "That's _twice_ that Ranma's lost…in the past three days!"

"Oh, well. It was bound to happen eventually," Nabiki said dryly, as she walked back inside with Akane following her. "Ranma's finally met his match. I'd say it's American Girls, two, Ranma, zip."

Akane nodded in agreement. Then she asked, "Hey, Nabiki, do you think we should pull Ranma out of the pond?"

Nabiki glanced back over her shoulder for a second. "Naaah."

Mousse looked over at Erin, who was standing next to him wearing a very pleased expression. "I…I won…" he stuttered, almost uncomprehendingly, as he picked up his glasses. "I mean, we won. For the first time since I arrived, I fought Ranma and I beat him!" Mousse was practically grinning as he said, "Thank you."

Erin smiled at him. "You're very welcome." Then, with concern creeping into her voice, she asked, "How's your head, by the way?"

"It'll be fine. I shall get some ice when I go back to the Neko Hanten."

"That's good." Then, looking thoughtful, she said, "I do have one question, though."

"Yes?"

She gestured around her at all the assorted weapons lying on the ground. "How long will it take you to put all this stuff back in your robe?"

Mousse blinked. "Um, not too long…"

Close to an hour later, Mousse finally finished putting all his weapons back into their respective hiding places. Erin had offered to help, but as there was really nothing that she could do, (aside from occasionally pointing and saying, "You forgot one") she sat against one of the trees and just talked. Mousse was not used to people being quite so communicative, but he decided that he did not really mind. Actually, he just liked the fact that she paid attention to him, in a much more positive and definitely less painful way than Shampoo.

"Alright," he eventually told her. "I think I've got everything."

With a last semi-smug look at the very buoyant, unconscious person in the pond, Erin got up and followed Mousse to the front yard while he got his bicycle. As they walked down the street together, she asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Mousse stared blankly at her. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged a little. "Well, you did it. Beat Ranma, I mean. Isn't that what you've been trying to do for the last few years?"

The young man stopped abruptly, as recent events completely sunk in. As he stood there, he thought, "_I…I did beat him. I had help, but the final blow was mine. I can go back to the Neko Hanten as…as the victor. And then Shampoo would have to acknowledge that I defeated her «airen»!_" Another thought struck him. "_Then, I might be worthy to be her suitor!_"

Of course, Mousse was forgetting the fact that Shampoo had told him, in no uncertain terms, that she did not want him. He also was not stopping to think about whether he actually wanted to marry her. He did, however, decide that he needed to go back to the Neko Hanten and tell the two Amazons that he had won against Ranma Saotome. He turned to Erin, who was still waiting for him to answer her question.

"I…I have to go back to work. I need to tell Shampoo that I defeated Ranma, and…and…" Here he paused for a moment. "I'll see you tomorrow, please?"

She nodded, her eyes wide. She was not used to him gushing like that. "«O.K.», Mousse. Bye!"

By the time she got to the last word, he was already on his bike, barreling down the road in the direction of the aforementioned ramen shop.

The American girl stood there for a second before walking back towards her apartment, shaking her head in mild confusion.

«Alrighty then…» she muttered in English. «That made loads of sense.»

When Mousse arrived at the Neko Hanten, Shampoo and Cologne were waiting for him. Shampoo put on her most demeaning look.

"Stupid, blind duck-boy come back so soon with tail between legs?"

Mousse stared at her for a moment. He had been exited at first; eager to tell her of his first lasting victory against Ranma, but now, as he stood in front of her, he could not remember why.

"No," he said softly, deep in thought. "I…I won." He paused. "I'm going upstairs for the rest of the night, if you don't mind. I need to think."

He turned and walked up the stairs, leaving the two Amazons in flabbergasted silence. Shampoo recovered her voice first.

"AIYAAAAA!" she screamed incredulously. "Shampoo go _kill_ Mousse!"

"Wait, great-granddaughter," Cologne instructed. "Let's give him the rest of the night to sort himself out. If he tries to claim you in the morning, then you may kill him."

"Hmph!" Shampoo snorted, still seething. "He better not try. Amazon law say woman must marry man who beats her, not man who beats man who beat her. Shampoo never marry stupid duck!"

Mousse slowly walked upstairs, still enveloped in contemplation. After taking a hot shower and putting on fresh robes, he went into his "bedroom" in the attic, closed the door, and sat on his bed. He was a bit surprised that Shampoo had yet to come bursting in with her bonbori, demanding that he come and finish the dishes, but he decided not to worry about it. He needed the rare opportunity of solitude to sort out his life, which had been getting significantly more confusing over the past week. Had he beaten Ranma even three or four days earlier, he would have already been trying to convince Shampoo to marry him. As things now stood, after her rather vocal rejection of him as a suitor, he was fairly certain that she would not only refuse him, but also cause him severe bodily injury. This knowledge would have never stopped him before, but now, he found that he was not sure he wanted to marry her anymore. Mousse laughed softly.

"What has gotten into me lately?" he wondered. "First, I beat Ranma, now, I'm doubting my love for Shampoo!"

The more he thought, the more doubt there was. Old memories of rejection and mistreatment began coming back to him: her beating him up as a small child, and then as an older child, on into his teens; ignoring him every time he tried to talk to her; how she had run off after Ranma, completely disdaining Mousse's very existence; how she insulted and mocked him every time he tried to do something. He remembered her giving him weapons that exploded on him the second time he fought Ranma for her, he remembered being tied to a chair in his cursed form, or put in a small metal cage whenever his presence became "inconvenient." She cheered every time he failed, and laughed whenever he was hurt, and the list of injustices and abuse went on and on. By the time he was done remembering, several hours later, he was sobbing. He pulled his legs up to his chest, and rested his head on his knees.

"Why?" he asked of no one in particular. "What did I ever do to make her hate me so much?"

For the last four years, he had been trying to win Shampoo's love, and now, for the first time, he found that not only would she never give it, but that he did not want it. As he sat there, more recent memories surfaced: her yelling at him in the Neko Hanten, calling him "stupid, blind duck-boy" more times than he could count, all leading up to her painful rejection of him that afternoon, and then her mocking question when he returned. He had to admit, though, that it had felt pretty good to be able to tell her, for the first time, that he had won. This brought him to a new question. If he no longer loved Shampoo, was there somebody else?

Shampoo had never been there for him when he needed help, but lately, someone else had been. At the Neko Hanten, when he had hugged a stranger instead of Shampoo, the young lady had kept him from Shampoo's rage; when he almost dropped the dishes, she had helped him then, too; when Ranma was attacking and choking him, she had stopped him, and that afternoon, when Ranma was standing on top of him, ready to claim yet another victory, she had turned the tables. She treated him kindly, despite his eyesight and his curse, and told him she wanted to be his friend. Mousse remembered the way he felt when he was around her, and then, what he had accidentally told Ranma: "I will defeat you, and then Erin will be mine!"

"_Is that it? Is that why I don't want Shampoo anymore?_" he thought. "_Am I in love with Erin?_"

He could see her smiling at him, at the Neko Hanten, at her house, at the Dojo. He was hit with an unfamiliar sensation.

"She really cares about me," he murmured. "But does she love me? I…I have to know."

He spent the rest of the night thinking of different ways to ask her, and around five in the morning, he finally fell asleep.

Mousse woke up the next morning to the sun streaming in the window, and a strange tapping noise by his head. He rolled over and saw a stick being hit repeatedly against the floor. He looked up, and saw the Amazon matriarch sitting atop the stick.

"Uh, oh," he groaned softly. "I'm going to get it."

"Do you know what time it is?" Cologne questioned.

Mousse stared blankly at her.

"Well then, I'll tell you. It's almost noon. So, you had better get your tail feathers downstairs and start working, Mister Part-time."

Mousse sat cross-legged on the bed and put his glasses on. "Honorable Matriarch," he began carefully, "may I take the afternoon off, please?"

Cologne stared at him like he had just turned purple. "And why should I let you do this?"

Mousse blushed, and then said, "Last night, I decided that I'm in love, and I need to go tell her, and see if she loves me, too…"

Although she would never admit it, Cologne was slightly confused. After all, Shampoo was right downstairs. "I suppose that if—"

"Oh, thank you!" Mousse gushed. "I'll be back before the dinner crowd, I promise!"

He jumped off the bed, and went tearing into the bathroom to get ready, which he did in record time, then he went streaking downstairs, faster than Cologne could catch him.

The head of the Amazons stood in the upstairs hallway and thought, "_This is not going to be pretty…_"

She bounced down the stairs on top of her stick. As she neared the bottom, she half-expected to see bloody pieces of the Chinese boy scattered about the floor of the restaurant. What she saw when she got into the kitchen, however, was not at all what she expected.

Shampoo was standing by the stove, holding her bonbori at her sides, with her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. Mousse, who was still very alive, and in one piece, was standing in front of her, talking faster than Cologne had ever heard him talk. He was just finishing what he was saying as the elder Amazon walked in.

"…And I completely relinquish any claims I might have had on you, and I am giving up on trying to ever marry you, Shampoo. I…I am not in love with you anymore."

At this, Shampoo's mouth got wider, and her great-grandmother practically fell off her stick. Mousse pushed his glasses up onto his hair, and continued, oblivious to the shock he was inducing.

"I don't think I've been in love with you for a while, but my efforts to win you had become a habit. I was so used to doing it, that I wasn't realizing how much you don't like me. And, I'm sorry I've given you such trouble, and," here he turned to Cologne, "and I won't be chasing your great-granddaughter any more. I love Erin."

He took a deep breath, and waited for them to say something. They did not. He took that as a good sign that they would refrain from murdering him where he stood.

"So," he began slowly, "may I go tell her?"

Shampoo nodded, still in shock, and Cologne rasped slowly, "Yeees, you do that."

Mousse grinned, turned, and went running out the door, leaving the two Amazon warriors standing in the kitchen. Finally, Shampoo turned to Cologne.

"Mousse no love Shampoo," she began. "Mousse love other woman."

Cologne nodded, wondering what Shampoo was getting at. Then, Shampoo clasped her hands together and began jumping up and down.

"AIYAAA!" she squealed with glee, "Mousse no love Shampoo! Mousse love other woman! I happy!"

"Where am I?" Ryoga asked himself.

He looked around the busy market, and could not recognize a thing. He had been with Jesse just a minute ago. He turned to an older man holding a cup with money in it. Ryoga asked him, "Did you see a blond American girl go by recently?"

"Nope," replied the blind man. "But I'll let you know if I do." He laughed hoarsely.

"Oops! Sorry."

Ryoga glanced around him, still looking for his girlfriend. "I am still in Nerima, aren't I?"

The blind man shook his head. "I wouldn't know."

"No!" Ryoga cried, "I can't be lost now!" He looked up, put his hands to his head and howled, "It's not fair!" An aura of depressed chi was beginning to form around him. He would have to release it, so he ran to the edge of the market, and pointed his hands towards an alley.

"SHI…SHI—"

"Ryoga!" yelled Jesse, "What's up with you?"

The Lost Boy's battle aura faded, and he turned around. "Where have you been?"

Jesse crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I've been right there for the past fifteen minutes," she told him, pointing at a stand advertising fresh fruit. "And up until about a minute ago, so were you."

"Oh…sorry."

Jesse giggled, and went over to take him by the arm. "At least you're not in Kyoto," she offered helpfully.

Ryoga sighed. He was quite sick of his directional inability.

"Come on," Jesse continued, "I got the stuff Erin wanted, so let's go back to the apartment, and then the three of us can go get something to eat. Smelling all this food is making me hungry!"

Ryoga followed her lead as they left the market. "Alright," he replied obligingly, "Food sounds good."

As they walked down the street, Jesse turned to him and said, in no uncertain terms, "But no okonomi-yaki!"

Mousse decided that before seeing Erin, he was going to make a quick stop at the Tendo Dojo. When he arrived, he ran around to the back, where he found Ranma practicing his martial arts. Ranma, who was off in his own little world, did not notice the Chinese boy until he spoke.

"Ranma, I need to talk to you."

Ranma turned around and scowled at Mousse. "You cheated!" he accused.

Mousse, who was hoping that Ranma would decide against attacking him, took a step back. "No, I did not cheat, I just had help. But I came to tell you that—"

Ranma interrupted him. "What's the difference, duck, I had ya beat, and then she came along and—"

Mousse decided that for once, he was going to stand up to his rival. He broke in on Ranma's complaining streak.

"I wasn't finished yet, so just be quiet for once and listen!"

Ranma blinked as Mousse continued. "I did win that fight, but if Erin hadn't come, I would have lost." He paused, and when Ranma stayed silent, he continued. "What I came here to tell you is that…I concede."

Ranma stared at him similar to how Cologne had earlier.

"You would've won, and I acknowledge that. I told you that it would be the last time I would challenge you, and I meant it." Here, Mousse smiled deviously. "Shampoo is all yours. I won't get in the way anymore. Have a great life together! I have to go do something else now, so I shall see you around, Ranma."

Ranma watched as Mousse ran off. "This town is gettin' odder by the day," he grumbled.

Up in one of the Tendo's second story windows, Nabiki was watching and listening. As she got up and walked away, she muttered, "Now doesn't that just take the cake?"

After Mousse got about a block away from the Tendo's house, he stopped to think. He needed to find Erin, but, unlike most of the other people in Nerima who were almost always in the same few places, he did not know exactly where she would be.

"_Umm, I guess I should try their apartment first_," Mousse thought. "_Then, if she isn't there, I'll have to think of something else_."

He took off in the direction of Erin and Jesse's apartment, while thinking, "_Of course, once I get there, if she isn't there, I could just stay and wait for a while. She has to come home eventually_…"

About seven minutes later, he was running down her street. He was a little more than half a block away when he saw her. There was someone else there, too, but that mattered not to him.

"It's probably her cousin," he muttered as he approached. Of course, he was not wearing his glasses.

"How am I going to do this?" he wondered out loud.

He paused to rest about thirty feet away, behind a light post. After two minutes or so of thinking, he decided he could not come up with anything spectacular, or really anything at all.

He murmured, "Oh, well, old habits die hard. And, I can't think of a good way to ask her. Better to tell her right out, and then deal with her reaction…I hope…"

He ran out from behind the streetlight, and ran towards her. When he was a few feet away, he cried out, "I love you!" and then ran to her, doing much the same thing he had on the first day they met.

She went completely stiff. The next thing he heard was a low noise from behind him that sounded almost like a growl, and a female voice saying, "Ryoga, get him OFFA ME!"

"Mousse!" Ryoga yelled quite loudly, "What the heck do you think you're doing? Take your hands off my girlfriend this instant, before I turn you inside out!"

"_Girlfriend!_" Mousse thought, "_But Ryoga and Jesse are… Oh, dear…_"

Mousse slowly let go, and took a step back, while putting his glasses back on his face where they belong. He then took a good, close look at the woman he had just proclaimed his love to. It was Jesse, and she looked just about ready to clobber him. He glanced behind him, and saw Ryoga, his battle aura forming, wearing a look similar to Jesse's. The Lost Boy began walking purposefully towards him, and Mousse, having some survival instinct, took a step back…right into someone else.

"Mousse!" exclaimed Erin, who had just come out of the door, "What are you doing here…and, why does Ryoga look so mad?"

Mousse turned his head to look at her. "I—" he began. Ryoga broke in.

Jabbing an accusing finger at the other young man, he yelled, "That…that _person_ just said he was in love with _my_ girlfriend!"

Erin's eyes widened, and Mousse hung his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah!" Jesse said, sounding annoyed. "And, he hugged me! Practically popped me, too!"

Mousse sighed. "This isn't how it was supposed to work," he whispered. Then, looking at the incensed Jesse, he said, "I didn't mean to hug _you_."

Both Ryoga and Jesse replied, "Oh, really!"

Mousse shook his head slowly, and blushed, "No, I…I didn't have my glasses on, and I thought you were Erin, so I, uh…" he trailed off as Ryoga's jaw dropped, and Jesse arched an exultant eyebrow.

"Shôri!" she muttered, "Yatta." But, no one heard her.

Behind him, Mousse heard Erin make a soft noise. He turned around, now staring at her feet.

"I didn't do a very good job," he started softly, "but I did come here to tell you something."

"Yes?" she prompted gently.

"Well, I, uh, what I wanted to say was…I mean, I came to tell you that…I, um…"

Ryoga sighed in the background and Jesse muttered something rude in English.

Mousse took a deep breath, then quickly said it. "I thought all night long about how I feel, and I realized that I don't love Shampoo. I haven't loved her for a while, but I didn't stop to think about it. Up until a few days ago, I'd never had anyone who even cared that I existed, but…I do now. You've been nicer to me than anyone else I've ever known, and you've always been there when I needed someone. And…and last night, I discovered that I…" and here, he finally looked up at her face. "I've fallen in love you."

"_There_," he thought, "_I said it_." Then, to her, he asked, "Could you ever love me?"

Mousse squirmed as he waited the second or so it took her to respond, but to him, it felt like forever. Then, she smiled at him, and he felt his face go red again. She reached out, pulled him to her, and hugged him. She murmured, "I already do love you, since I first saw you walk down the stairs in the Neko Hanten the day we met."

Ryoga twitched and Jesse made a grumbling noise at the increasing level of mushy-ness. Erin leaned over Mousse's shoulder to stick her tongue out at the two of them. Mousse turned his head and saw her do it. She smirked at him, then, she took his face in her hands, and kissed him. His eyes went wide, but then he melted. He closed his eyes and hugged and kissed her back.

"Aren't first kisses grand?" Jesse asked Ryoga with a devious gleam in her eyes as she looped her arm through his. He nodded and blushed. "It is his first kiss, isn't it?" she questioned.

Ryoga looked at her like she was insane. "Are you kidding?" he asked incredulously. "No one in Nerima, or all of Japan, or China, as far as I know, has ever taken any kind of interest in Mister Knife-throwing Duck. Of course it's his first kiss. There probably isn't another person on this planet who would want him."

Jesse shrugged. "You know," she said thoughtfully, "that looks kind of fun.

Ryoga stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

Jesse looked exasperated. "You should kiss me."

"Oh, O.K."

A minute or so later, two people stood down the street, watching.

"Don't they need to take a break for air?" Akane asked Nabiki.

Nabiki shrugged. "That's one of the many reasons we can breathe through our noses," she explained.

"Oh," Akane muttered. Then, a few seconds later, she acquired a strange look on her face. "Hey, wait a minute! That blond girl is kissing Ryoga! He probably hasn't even told her about his curse! I'm going to kill that jerk!"

Akane pulled out her mallet, and was about to go "inform" Jesse that the person she was with turned into a black piglet, when Nabiki grabbed her by the arm and began guiding her in the opposite direction.

"Trust me," Nabiki told her sister, "she knows."

"But he never told me!" Akane complained.

"Yeah, well, he learned."

"Oh, fine," the tomboy conceded, putting away her mallet. "But how would you know?"

Smiling, Nabiki replied, "It's my business to know these things." Then she shrugged. "I'll tell you everything I know while we go get the soba noodles Kasumi wanted."

"Alright," Akane conceded.

They walked around the corner, but less than three seconds after they disappeared, Nabiki popped back around the corner, with her camera in her hands.

"Hold on, Akane. I just have to get one picture of this. After all, this is a major event in Nerima history…"

Snap, flash

Later that day, after they had eaten, Jesse and Ryoga went off together, while Erin walked with Mousse back to the Neko Hanten. She had her arms wrapped around one of his, and he was blushing and smiling at the same time. Periodically, Erin would giggle; Mousse was unsure why exactly she did that, but eventually he decided it just expressed random, free-floating happiness. Their behavior on the way gained them several strange looks, a few double takes, and at least two gaping stares. Everyone in the city was so used to Mousse chasing Shampoo, and being pounded for it, that this new development was quite a shock. Mousse, however, did not care if the whole town came to stare; he was happy.

Mousse walked into the Neko Hanten with Erin still attached to his arm. There were no customers at the moment, and Shampoo and Cologne were both back in the kitchen. The young man was beginning to feel a bit nervous at the prospect of facing the two Amazons again, but decided that since they had been compliant that morning, hopefully they had not changed their minds.

"I'm back," he called as he walked around the counter.

Shampoo came bouncing out to meet them.

«Nihao!» she greeted, sounding like she was about to explode with glee. "Erin-sama, so cute you look with Mousse." Then, drawing solely on her own goal of quick marriage to Ranma, and not on the reality of life, she asked, "So, when wedding date?"

Mousse turned crimson, and Erin blinked. The Chinese boy opened his mouth to say something, but no sound was coming out. Erin quickly filled in. "We'll get back to you on that," she said. Then, muttering under her breath, "In about two years…"

Shampoo shrugged and went back into the kitchen. Cologne came out a second later, perched on her stick.

"What a delightful development," she rasped. "And, you are back on time. How splendid."

Erin smiled, and Mousse nodded. Cologne continued, "So, no more chasing Shampoo?"

"No," Mousse said.

"Good." Cologne acquired a look of deep contemplation, then asked, "How much do I pay you, Mousse?"

The Chinese boy eyed her warily as he replied, "Nothing. Outside of room and board, that is."

"Hmmm…" Cologne mumbled. "Well then, in light of recent occurrences, I think I'll give you a raise."

"What!" Mousse mouthed.

"I'd say minimum wage, weekends off, and you can still stay here."

The young man was having trouble getting words to come out. It would have been equally stunning had she said she was going to shave her head and get a tattoo.

"Th-thank you…"

"Just don't let it go to your head. And remember, you have to start work in three minutes."

With that declaration, she pogo-sticked her way back into the kitchen, leaving Mousse standing there with a rather glazed look on his face. Erin poked him lightly in the ribs.

"Snap out of it," she instructed.

Mousse turned and looked at her. "I never, even in my wildest dreams, thought that this would ever happen. Did you hear her? She's going to start _paying_ me!"

"I'm glad," she told him. "It's about time they started treating you better."

Glancing at the clock, Mousse said, "I have to go back to work now. Will you come by tomorrow?"

"Of course."

She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss.

"By the way, did you ever put ice on your head?"

Mousse stared into space for a moment before saying, "Uh, oops… I forgot."

Erin rolled her eyes, but was still smiling brightly.

"Have fun. I'll see you later. Sayônara, Mousse-chan." As she got to the door, she turned, and, utilizing one of the only Chinese phrases she knew, she called back, «Wo ai ni!»

Mousse smiled, and waved as she walked out. "Anata ga suki desu, koibito."


	2. Interlude

Part Two: Interlude

Over the rest of the summer, the four teenagers spent almost all their spare time together. Although Cologne had said that Mousse only had weekends off, she actually turned out to be very lenient in regards to his going out, especially where his new girlfriend was involved. And, as for Ryoga, he now had two people who would help him out when it came time to go anywhere; sometimes three, as he and Mousse were trying to get along better. Mostly to avoid "the Look," which they would get from the two girls whenever they so much as glared at each other in a menacing fashion.

Sometimes the girls would cook, and sometimes the guys would cook, and sometimes they would go out to eat. Jesse and Erin learned very quickly that Ryoga had an understandable aversion to ham and pork, and Mousse refused to eat duck (which tastes nasty anyway…). On one of their trips to an American restaurant, they also discovered that Mousse possessed a violent allergy to mayonnaise; something that led to a "fun" trip to the local doctor and involved a stomach pump.

After they had been going out about three weeks, Erin took Mousse to an optometrist to have his prescription updated. For the next two days, he walked around in absolute exultation as he realized that grass is made up of individual blades and trees still have bark no matter how far away you get. Of course, he still had the habit of pushing them up on his head, but at least he could see well when he remembered to wear them…

When the school year started again in the fall, Erin and Jesse enrolled in advanced language classes at the local college. Mousse and Ryoga, who had both been taught small amounts of English while growing up, decided that they wanted to learn more. This was partially out of a desire to be able to communicate with their girlfriends in their native language, and partially because they wanted to be able to understand the various, muttered English comments that the two girls made when talking to people like Ranma. Because of this, both young men decided to take a beginner's conversational English class. Mousse, who had a natural propensity for learning languages, grasped abstract concepts faster, whereas Ryoga's knowledge proceeded along more practical lines: «Hello, how are you? My name is Ryoga. Where is the bathroom?» Both of them, however, quickly learned one phrase even if they did not really understand the grammar behind it: «I love you.»

By Christmas, both Ryoga and Mousse could carry on pointless conversations in English, consisting of what their names were, where they were from, and basic physical characteristics; something that only came in handy with people who did not speak English. («Hi, Ranma. You are short, stupid, and ugly.») For the first time in several years, Ryoga got a Christmas present, and, as for Mousse, it was the first time in his life. Now that they had girlfriends, they also quickly figured out what mistletoe was good for…especially if you carried it around with you.

Although neither Erin nor Jesse had any real interest in becoming martial artists, Mousse and Ryoga did give them occasional "lessons." Ryoga and Jesse focused mostly on hand to hand combat, with her favorite attack being tickling (worked every time…), and Mousse worked on teaching Erin how to throw knives…accurately. The two cousins were actually getting fairly good. Of course, not good enough to actually beat anyone in Nerima, but then again, no one ever thought about attacking either of them. Too many strange rumors going around. Both girls, however, had the same feelings about fighting with honor: If you need to win against the bad guy, do it any way you can…including cheap tricks and/or cheating. After all, in a life or death scenario, it really matters not whether you played "fair" in the end…just as long as you lived through it.

By the end of the school year, both young men could hold their own in English, as long as the conversation did not get too technical or abstract. Ryoga's directional sense, as well, was showing improvement with all the positive reinforcement he was getting from Jesse and her cousin; something he had never gotten before. One still could not tell him where to go and expect him to get there, but with a good map, he usually did all right. As far as the martial arts, Jesse could hold her own against Ryoga, as long as he kept it fairly simple and refrained from using any energy attacks, and Erin could hit the center of the target almost every time, as long as it was not moving all about.

Soon, it was summer again, and the girls decided that they were going to stay for at least another year…


	3. Someone to Watch Over Me

Part Three: Someone to Watch Over Me

"Nihao, Ranma!" Shampoo called as the martial artist entered the Neko Hanten. "Ranma come date with Shampoo?" she asked expectantly.

Ranma rolled his eyes and pried her off his arm. "Nah, I'm here ta see the Old Ghoul. She said she had somethin' for me."

The Amazon pouted for a moment, then cheered up. "Shampoo go get great-grandmother for «airen.» Ranma wait here, yes?"

He nodded, and she went dashing up the stairs to find Cologne, returning a minute or so later with the old woman.

"So, Son-in-Law, I see you have arrived."

Ranma crossed his arms and tried to look indifferent. "Yeah, well, ya said ya had somethin' for me."

"Yes," she rasped slowly. "I do."

"Come on," Ranma grumbled impatiently, "I ain't got all day. What is it?"

"A cure for your curse."

Ranma missed the chair he had been trying to sit down in and ended up on the floor on his backside. He jumped up immediately. "Whadya mean, 'a cure'?"

"I have discovered a possible way for you to get rid of your Jusenkyo curse, but it will not be easy."

"Just lemme at it!" Ranma cried confidently. "I can take it…whatever it is…"

"Hmm… We shall see."

"How do I get it!"

"Tell me," croaked the Amazon Matriarch, "have you ever before heard the legend of the Mokatsu?"

"If he's not careful, one of these days he's going to end up with a French braid."

Ryoga and Jesse were sitting on a blanket, watching Erin and Mousse. Erin was sitting on the ground with her back against a tree, and her legs up in front of her, while Mousse was propped against her legs, with his head back and his eyes closed, while she played with his hair.

"Um, Erin," Jesse said, "He looks comatose."

"I'm just relaxed," Mousse mumbled. "That's all."

"Yeah, well, any more relaxed and your heart might stop."

"Actually," Erin interjected, responding to Ryoga's original comment, "I tried French braids last week, and it didn't look right. A ponytail, on the other hand, looked cute."

Ryoga snorted, then grumbled, "Forget I said anything."

Erin smiled, and Mousse opened one eye and looked at the other couple. "So, what are we going to do tonight?"

The other three teenagers were thinking about his question, when all of a sudden, there was a splash, and Erin had a very wet, and, consequently, very un-relaxed duck sitting in her lap.

"RAAANMAAA!" she yelled.

The pigtailed martial artist appeared from behind the tree, swinging an empty bucket from one hand, and wearing a cocky expression. Erin immediately picked up a cup of water sitting next to her and sloshed its contents at Ranma, who promptly dodged…right into the spray of water from Jesse's cup.

Girl-type Ranma stood there for a second, dripping on the ground, before complaining, "Hey! No fair gangin' up on me!"

"Sorry," said Jesse unconvincingly. "It just needed to be done."

Ranma glared at Jesse as she refilled her cup. Meanwhile, Erin had pulled a thermos of hot water out of her backpack and poured most of the contents over Mu Mu-Chan, who changed back into a human. The two young ladies had gotten quite good at carrying supplies to counteract their boyfriends' curses should they strike while they were not near a sink.

"What do _you_ want, Ranma?" Ryoga asked, totally forgoing tact.

For a second, Ranma actually seamed to be searching for the right words. Finally, he muttered, "I need ta talk to you and Mousse." Then, with a glance toward the two American girls, he added forcefully, "Alone."

«Well, excuuuse us!» Jesse mumbled sarcastically in English.

«How rude,» her cousin added.

Mousse and Ryoga smiled slightly, glad that they could now be a party to the wonderful world of Ranma-bashing in other languages. Then, Ryoga spoke up.

"Oh, fine. But only for a few minutes."

"We were, after all, previously occupied," Mousse put in.

"That'll work. Let's go over there."

Ranma pointed to a few trees over by a small pond about twenty yards away. The other two boys nodded, told their girlfriends that they would be "right back," then followed Ranma to the previously designated spot of conference.

"Well," Ryoga began, somewhat impatiently, "you got us. What did you so desperately want to tell us?"

"I just found out a way for us ta get a cure."

"You're kidding us," Mousse said skeptically.

"Would I lie ta ya?"

The other two martial artists wisely refrained from answering. Ryoga raised an eyebrow in anticipation. Ranma continued.

"Ya see, it all started this morning when I went to the Neko Hanten. Cologne had told me ta come, 'cause she wanted ta tell me about this weird race called the Mokatsu…"

"Tell me," croaked the Amazon Matriarch, "have you ever before heard the legend of the Mokatsu?"

Ranma shook his head. "No, but I'm listenin'."

"Very well, have a seat."

Ranma sat. Cologne made herself comfortable atop her cane before beginning her tale. "The Mokatsu," she intoned, "are a mythical race in ancient Amazonian legend; powerful monsters that are capable of incredible destruction and devastation. Every thousand years, their fortress appears atop Muchitsujo-Yama, Chaos Mountain. Very little is know about their ways, but it is told that there are always two at a time. Never more, and almost never less. The main creature is a powerful "Master," with a significantly weaker "Heir." If the adult is destroyed, the juvenile absorbs its energy, becomes the new Master, and will make itself a new Heir through parthenogenesis."

Ranma's face went blank at the last word. She stopped and explained it, then continued. "The legend goes on to say that if you can defeat them, you will be granted a wish. No one has ever defeated them, to my vast knowledge. However, they enjoy the battles. Because of this, they return every thousand years, for a period of three days. During that time, they allow people to challenge them. If the people win, they get their wish; if they lose, they die, and the master Mokatsu absorbs their chi energy, becoming increasingly powerful with each human it kills.

Now, I have heard from undisclosed sources that the fortress has been sighted and the legends are true. The Mokatsu have returned, and will be wanting to fight."

For once, Ranma actually looked interested in what the Old Ghoul was saying. Off to the side, Shampoo leaned against the wall, listening intently as well.

"One person alone, however, will be turned away. There must be two, or at most three, before the Mokatsu will consider accepting the challenge. I do not know why. Perhaps it does not feel that fighting one person is a worthy test of its prowess."

"Then it's never met me!" Ranma boasted.

Cologne closed her eyes and shook her head. "Son-in-Law, even you would not be powerful enough to defeat it alone. Never mind the fact that it wouldn't even bother fighting you by yourself, as I have already said. You need two other people to go with you."

"Hmm," Ranma thought aloud. "I can't take Akane, she's not good enough. Ukyo, maybe… No, even she isn't all that great in a straight fight. What about Shampoo, maybe?"

The Amazon girl interrupted his train of thought. "Shampoo not go."

Ranma was a bit taken aback. Shampoo was turning down a chance to go somewhere with him? This was a new experience. After a second or two of Ranma's stunned silence, she continued.

"Shampoo hear stories about evil monsters since child times in Amazon village. Shampoo have no wish to fight one, even with Ranma. Ranma need find someone else."

"There were only two likely choices to begin with, Son-in-Law," Cologne broke in.

Ranma nodded in resignation. "I'll take Ryoga."

"That is very well and good, but you are going to need all the help you can get."

Ranma snorted, then grumbled, "Fine, Ryoga and Mousse. Any other ways you'd like ta make my life harder than it already is?"

"Yes," she croaked with a sly smile. "You're going to have to get them _without_ their girlfriends finding out. Or, you may end up with more complications that you bargained for."

Ranma cringed. He still had occasional disturbing dreams about his humiliating defeats at the hands of the two American ladies. And, over the past year, as they began to make friends with most of the people in Nerima, he had done his best to stay civil to them, but mostly, just to stay out of their way. They gave him the creeps.

"You bet," he responded wholeheartedly. Then, getting carried away in the moment, he yelled, "I'll defeat the Mokatsu, and then, GOOD-BYE, GIRL HALF! WAH HA HA HA!"

With that battle cry of overconfidence, Ranma turned and went running out the door to begin assembling his "strike team."

After his departure, Shampoo turned to Cologne. "Great-grandmother, you really think this work?"

The old woman shrugged, then said, "Maybe, maybe not. But, if it does, Ranma will not only be the strongest man, but he will be _all_ man. Then he will truly be the perfect husband for you."

Ranma paused after recounting his story, and waited for Mousse and Ryoga to respond. Silence dragged out for a few more seconds, as the two young men processed what they had just heard. Ryoga spoke first, rather loudly.

"I can be rid of the pig!"

Girl-type Ranma clamped his hand over Ryoga's mouth. "Keep it down," he hissed. "We can't let the American squad know."

Mousse, who had still been processing the full ramifications of Ranma's tale, spoke up. "Why not?"

With an exasperated look, Ranma snapped, "Because, we can't take them with us. We already have three people, and they're not martial artists, anyway. Besides, ya really think that if ya told them, they'd just say, 'Oh, yes, please go get yourselves maimed. Have fun!'?"

Ryoga and Mousse fell silent.

"What are we supposed to do?" questioned the fanged martial artist.

Ranma shrugged. "Leave 'em a note, or somethin'."

After a few more seconds of deep internal contemplation, Ryoga said softly, "I'll do it. To be cured of that which has destroyed my life for so long, I'll fight beside you."

Both boys looked at Mousse. The Chinese young man shifted his feet, and stared at a nearby tree for a moment. "_I'm going to hate myself for this_…" he thought silently.

He pulled his glasses off and played with them for a second. Then putting them back on, he replied slowly, "I too shall come."

Ranma seemed utterly oblivious to Mousse's internal trauma.

"All right!" he exclaimed. "We'll meet at the Neko Hanten tonight, after dark."

"Uh, how am I supposed to get there?"

Mousse and Ranma stared at Ryoga.

"I already live at the Neko Hanten," Mousse reminded them. "I could go and get Ryoga, but it would make more sense if you did it on your way, Ranma."

Ryoga grimaced, but for once, Ranma ignored it.

"Tonight then. We'll begin our quest for the cure!"

With that last comment, Ranma turned and went running off, probably to the Tendo Dojo, to pack. This left Ryoga and Mousse standing alone by the pond.

"Good grief," Ryoga grumbled, "He sounds like a TV add."

Mousse nodded, and mumbled something about Ranma and overly happy people on late night infomercials, before joining Ryoga in walking back to their girlfriends.

"What are we supposed to tell them?" he asked Ryoga.

The other boy just shrugged noncommittally. He had no idea either.

"So," Jesse began inquisitively, "What did Ranma have to say?"

Ryoga and Mousse stared at each other. Mousse gave Ryoga a look that seemed to say, "_She's your girlfriend_. You _answer her_." Ryoga made himself a mental note to personally "thank" Mousse for his help, later. He looked back at Jesse.

"Actually, he, um, just wanted to ask us a pointless question…nothing important. Heh…" Ryoga put his hand behind his head, and laughed nervously.

Erin and Jesse glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. However, both girls decided not to pursue the strange interpersonal relationships between the competing martial artists of Nerima. As in, they just did not ask.

"Alrighty then…" said the older cousin. "Then, how about going for ice cream or something?"

Mousse breathed an internal sigh of relief, and stole a glance at Ryoga. After which, he wished he had not, as the other young man was glaring at him in a disturbing manner.

"Uh, oh," he muttered.

That night, after the two couples had parted ways, (after several goodnight kisses, which the two boys for some reason seemed particularly desperate for) Mousse sat alone in the Neko Hanten. Cologne was in the kitchen preparing supplies for them to take on their trip, and Shampoo was in her room, doing who-knows-what. Ranma and Ryoga were taking much longer than they should have been. He stood up and went to look out the darkened window, for at least the eighth time. Sitting back down, he pulled one of his knives out, and sighed. He felt terrible about not telling Erin what they were planning. He turned his stool to the counter, placed his left hand on it, and spread his fingers. Then, he began tapping the knifepoint back and forth between them, picking up speed as he went. It was something that he did periodically to relieve stress. He was fairly sure that Erin would not appreciate it if she knew, but at the moment, he just needed something to focus his attention on.

He had been playing with the knife for about five minutes, when the door to the Neko Hanten slammed open, causing him to jump in surprise. Mousse was sure he had just missed his finger by half a millimeter.

Whirling on whoever had entered the shop, he cried out, "What were you trying to do! Make me cut my hand off!"

Ranma and Ryoga stared at him strangely.

"What's up with you?" Ryoga asked the hyperventilating Chinese boy in front of him.

"You took forever," Mousse complained.

"Yeah, well," Ranma grumbled, "Ryoga got a little sidetracked on the way…"

Mousse looked at Ryoga, mild agitation showing in his green eyes. "You got lost again? I thought you were getting better."

Ryoga, who was also feeling bad about keeping his whereabouts from Jesse, inadvertently took it out on Mousse.

"So I get lost. Big deal. At least I don't go around professing my love to potted plants."

Mousse's face fell a little. "I haven't done that in over a year," he protested weakly. "Besides, can't you think of anything better to make fun of than my eyesight?"

"Well, I could insult the rest of you, but that would be too easy."

The second he said it, he felt worse than he already did, especially as he watched Mousse slump, and stare at floor.

"That was a cheap shot, Ryoga," he mumbled.

"You're right," Ryoga apologized. "It was. It's not your fault that I'm uneasy about this whole mess. I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Mousse said softly, looking up at Ryoga with a small smile. "I know exactly how you feel."

"Touching," came an old voice from the kitchen doorway.

The three martial artists turned to face Cologne, who was perched atop her stick. Ranma spoke up.

"Well, O-baba, we're all here. Now what?"

"Now I shall give you final instructions, your provisions for your journey, and the map to lead you there."

Cologne hopped over to a table and motioned them to do the same. After they had seated themselves, she began her speech. Mousse, Ryoga, and Ranma listened intently, as they all wanted to come back from this particular adventure.

"I trust Ranma has told you both the legend of the Mokatsu?" she questioned first. Mousse and Ryoga both nodded, so she continued. "Very well then. I will not lie to you by saying that this will be easy, or without a price. If you do not fight well, and fight to win, there is a distinct possibility that one or more of you will not be coming back alive."

Ranma glared, Ryoga snorted, and Mousse twitched ever so slightly. She stared at them for a long moment before going on.

"The Mokatsu are strong, skilled, and clever. And, not at all above using tricks and ruses to split you up, or injure you. 'Divide and conquer' will most likely be one of their chief methods of weakening you. Fight as a group whenever possible."

She cleared her throat, and checked to make sure her audience was still listening. To be precise, they were hanging on every word. She nodded in approval, then began to speak again.

"You will be traveling away from Nerima and Tokyo, to the south. You will come to a relatively unassuming mountain. I will give you a map to show the exact location. On the top of Muchitsujo-Yama is the mountain fortress of the Mokatsu, your ultimate destination. I have packed enough food to last both ways if you do not squander it needlessly." That last comment with a stern look in Ranma's direction.

"What!" complained the pig-tailed martial artist. "So I like ta eat! Big deal!"

Cologne muttered something under her breath in Chinese. Mousse snickered, while the other two just looked confused. The old woman then pulled out an ancient looking map, and placed it on the table in front of them.

"This is the Amazon map marking the precise location of the mountain and the fortress it supports. If you leave in a few hours, you should get there on the morning of the last day the Mokatsu will accept challenges."

Jumping up, Ranma proclaimed, "Alright! Then let's go!" He began to go towards the kitchen, when Cologne hopped off her stick and thwacked him over the head with it. It made a nice hollow sound when it connected, and Ranma ended up on the floor, rubbing the bump on his head and scowling.

"What'd ya do that for, Old Ghoul!"

"Apparently," Cologne chided, "you were not listening to me. I said, 'in a few hours'. The three of you should try to get at least four more hours of sleep before starting on your journey. It may be that this will be the last opportunity for you to do so, until after you have fought the creature. As such, you should make the best use of it."

She folded the map and slipped it in the pocket of Mousse's backpack, which Shampoo had placed by the door along with Ranma's and Ryoga's. Cologne then turned back to the trio now standing by the table, waiting for further instructions. Privately, she wondered how they could possibly hope to win, but she kept such thoughts to herself, not wanting to worry them any more than necessary.

"Well," she rasped, "Don't just stand there looking blank. You now know everything that I had to tell you. Anything else you need to know, you will have to learn there."

They nodded. She sighed tiredly.

"You may use Mousse's room upstairs. I have placed futons on the floor for all of you."

As they filed up the stairs, Ranma bumped Ryoga who growled back at him. Mousse tried to calm them down, which only caused them to turn on him.

The old Amazon shook her head, then yelled up at them. "Remember, you will need each other for the fight. The enemy is the Mokatsu, so do try to refrain from killing each other tonight, won't you!"

Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga all mumbled their apologies and consent, then went into the attic bedroom. After a few minutes of arguing over who was sleeping where, they did all finally go to sleep.

Four hours later, Cologne woke them. They gathered the rest of their supplies together, and, with a finally warning to be careful from Cologne and a final Ranma-glomping from Shampoo, they set off towards Chaos Mountain.

The next morning, after the three young men had already been traveling for a few hours, Jesse and Erin woke up. After having breakfast and getting ready for the day, they decided that they wanted to see their boyfriends. Jesse went to the phone and called Ryoga's house. Fifteen minutes and several tries later, she slammed the receiver down in frustration.

«Good grief!» she griped in English. «Why isn't he picking up the phone?»

«Well,» Erin said calmly as she walked out of the kitchen, «maybe he can't hear it. He might still be asleep, or he could be in the bathroom, or—»

Jesse rolled her eyes and interrupted. «For fifteen minutes! Be realistic.»

«Or,» Erin finished, «he could be in the shower. Don't worry about it. Just try again in a little while.»

Half an hour later, with still no response from Ryoga, even Erin agreed that there might actually be something to worry about. The two cousins decided to make a quick trip to his house, just to make sure he hadn't wandered off to Hokkaido, or somewhere else, by mistake.

Arriving at his house, they went through a rather time-consuming process of knocking on all the doors and windows, and trying to peer inside. They were only able to see through one of the side windows, which gave them a very nice but utterly unhelpful view of the hallway.

«Arrrgh!» complained Jesse loudly, as she proceeded to kick the side of the house in annoyance. «He's not here. Piff!» She grumbled as she rubbed her toe.

Erin thought for a minute. «We could try the Neko Hanten. Maybe Mousse or one of the Amazons might know where he is.»

Jesse shrugged, and they headed off, arriving a little under twenty minutes later. Upon going in, they found Shampoo cleaning tables and looking slightly grouchy.

_«That's strange,»_ Erin thought to herself. _«I thought that was one of Mousse's jobs…»_

Shampoo looked up and saw them, then turned and called into the kitchen, "Great-grandmother, is crazy girlfriends of pig- and duck-boys."

A few seconds later, Cologne came bouncing out of the kitchen, on top of her cane again. Shampoo, who did not want to be present for the interrogation to follow, quickly retreated into the kitchen.

"O-hayô," Cologne croaked. "What can I do for you?"

Jesse began, a little too sweetly. "You wouldn't happen to know where my Ryo-Chan is, now would you?"

"No," Cologne said simply. "Not at the moment." She had learned over many years that if you were going to conceal something, it was always best to stick as close to the truth as possible. And, although she knew where he was going, she did not know exactly where he was right then.

"Are you suuure?"

"What reason would I have to keep it from you if I did?"

"Grrr," Jesse growled at the old woman.

Cologne blinked.

"What!" Jesse snapped. "So I'm high-strung. So sue me."

About that time, Erin, who had been looking around randomly, focused on the Amazon Matriarch and asked pointedly, "Where is Mousse?"

Cologne paused a second longer than she should have. "He's out getting ginger root."

Erin and Jesse exchanged incredulous looks. Quoting her favorite cynical feline, Erin turned back to Cologne and said, "Your lying to me isn't half so insulting as the credit you're giving to my intelligence."

The old woman snorted. The two American girls stood there, arms crossed, looking incredibly unconvinced of anything she had told them. Finally, Cologne gave in…partially.

"Very well," she rasped slowly. "I do not know exactly where they are, but I do know what they are doing. The only thing I will tell you is that they are together, along with Ranma, and have gone to search for something important to them."

"That's what all that stuff was about," Jesse blurted, putting two and two together. "This is why Ranma wanted to talk to them so badly yesterday."

"And," her cousin added, "for them to listen to Ranma, it would have to be something life-changing. Probably a possible way to cure their curses, as that's the only common goal between them."

"And it would have to be very dangerous," Jesse began.

"Or they would have told us about it first," Erin concluded.

They stared at the Amazon and waited. Cologne sighed. She preferred dealing with the people in Nerima who could not think something through if their life depended on it.

"Very well," she finally conceded, "Sit down. I have a story to tell you."

The old woman proceeded to give them the Reader's Digest version of everything she had told the cursed boys the previous day, careful to leave out some of the more unpleasant parts. By the time she was finished, though, both girls were irate anyway.

"You mean to tell us," Erin began, making a great effort to keep herself as calm as possible, "that you sent the three of them off into the mountains to fight a pair of incredibly powerful creatures that will most likely kill one or more of them, on the off chance that they can beat it, and by doing so get rid of their curses!"

Cologne nodded. "That's about it."

Erin turned to Jesse, and they whispered back and forth for a few seconds before turning back to Cologne.

"Fine," Erin stated. "We have decided that there is only one thing to be said."

"And what is that?"

"We'd like a second map."

The old woman blinked at them. "You're not really martial artists, or any sort of fighters at all. It would be ridiculous for you to go. There would be nothing you could do."

"That'll be our problem," Jesse told her. "Besides, sometimes just being there is all that needs to be done."

"As to fighting," her cousin commented, "they can have it. But, I refuse to just sit here while the man I care about goes off and tries to get himself slaughtered."

Jesse backed her up. "Agreed."

Cologne watched them for a second, then asked, "And if I refuse to give you a map?"

Erin smiled disarmingly. "Then, we will ransack your room. If we do not find one, we will go through the rest of the restaurant. If we still don't find one, then, after packing supplies, we will head in the general direction you described, and find them ourselves. Although it would be much easier if you helped us."

The old lady stared at her for a moment, unsure of whether or not she was serious. Then, she came to a decision.

"I do not have another map," she croaked. "However, if you go home and gather everything you need to bring with you, and come back within the hour, everything will be ready. I shall draw up a copy of the map, and I will give you food to take with you, as I did for the others."

The two cousins nodded their consent, and did as the old lady had instructed them. About forty-five minutes later, they returned with backpacks and supplies, to which Cologne added the food she had prepared. As they began to leave, Cologne stopped them.

"As you know," she began seriously, "you are entering a very dangerous situation. I will assume no responsibility for anything that might happen as a result of your attempting to join up with Ranma and his group. Also, I warn you, do not interfere with Ranma's quest for a cure for the curses. It could go badly for all involved."

Erin replied, "We have absolutely no intention of getting in the way of Ranma's little ego trip. We just want to be there in case Mousse or Ryoga needs us. That's all."

Cologne nodded and grunted. "Mmm. Very well, then. Go down the main road out of the city until you come to the first marker as shown on the map. Then, simply follow the map until you reach the mountain; it won't be difficult to climb. Only a moderately tiring hike to the top. Kentou," she concluded.

"Thank you," Jesse and Erin told her. "And, we'll be back soon."

As they headed out the door and off down the street, Cologne stood on her cane for a moment, staring after them.

"I would expect nothing less," she rasped.

The next morning, Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga finally reached the top of the mountain and cautiously approached the fortress of the Mokatsu. Upon entering the courtyard, they walked up to the large, black metal double doors at the front. After checking to make sure there were no visible holes through which arrows could be shot, or the like, Ryoga knocked. It made a deep, hollow sound that echoed in the still mountain air. The three boys stared at each other, and after a few more seconds of waiting, while feeling conspicuously exposed just standing there, the doors swung slowly open.

"Come in," came a voice from out of the darkness.

After a short moment of indecision, they stepped through the doorway and found themselves in a long, dimly lit corridor running parallel to the front wall. The tall doors behind them slammed shut with a loud "bang," causing all three of them to jump slightly. Ranma looked at Mousse and Ryoga, who both wore slightly embarrassed looks.

"Huh, you two are pitiful," he said archly.

Ryoga turned to him with an annoyed expression. "If you'll remember, Ranma, you were startled too."

"Hmph," the pigtailed martial artist returned, "I was not."

As their eyes adjusted to the lack of illumination, the trio moved slowly towards the direction from which the voice had originally come. Now that they could see better, they saw that the speaker was a short, wizened old man with a long, white beard, and many wrinkles. He stood in front of another set of large double doors; this time, wooden, with intricate designs carved on them. He was dressed in a black robe, and was wearing a mildly disinterested expression. He greeted them as they came within a few feet of where he was standing.

"Yokoso," he began. "State your business in the fortress of the Mokatsu, or be on your way. Because if you don't have any business here, then you should be going."

Ranma stepped in front of Mousse and Ryoga, and, putting on one of his most overconfident expressions, he said, "We have come to challenge the Mokatsu to a battle."

The little old man nodded. "Very well. First, let me tell you what you will be facing…" He then proceeded to launch into an overly detailed explanation of the history of the Mokatsu, which they had already heard from Cologne. Ranma looked impatient, but listened, as did Ryoga, who wore a rather characteristic scowl. Mousse however, allowed his gaze to wander, and soon it settled on a small alcove down the hallway off to his left. There appeared to be a large, black book sitting on a stone ledge inside. Glancing back at his two companions, whose eyes were looking rather glazed as the old man droned on, he decided to go have a look. He turned and walked towards the alcove, about forty feet away. The old man, deeply involved in his monologue, did not notice or simply did not care. Either way, he made no move to stop the Chinese boy from wandering off on his own.

Now that Mousse could see it up close, he found that what he had thought was a bound book was actually only a thick sheaf of yellowing papers sandwiched between a folded piece of leather. On the front cover was a single, gilded, interlocking design; pretty, but if it had any significance, he was unaware of it. Mousse turned the front cover and tensed. After allowing a few seconds to pass, during which nothing landed on his head, impaled him, or electrocuted him, he assumed that it was safe to continue. He scanned down the first page. It was split into five columns, each containing a different language. The first column on the right was made up of an unfamiliar language with characters he had never seen before. Next was a column of Japanese, followed by one with Chinese. Then came one with awkward English, as it was still written from left to right, although the book was designed for languages read from right to left. After the English came another language he did not recognize. It was written in Latin characters, but there were strange squiggles over some of the letters and accent marks or dots over others. He concentrated on the Chinese column, as it was the one he was most familiar with, and could absorb the fastest.

The text appeared to be mostly about the creatures that they were preparing to fight. Skimming the parts discussing its history and race, as he already knew that, he slowed down when he reached a section on its fighting style, and various methods of killing its opponents. Although it could just kill outright, the book said that it preferred to injure its opponents, drain their chi energy, adding it to its own, and then let them die on their own, as that took the least amount of effort from the Mokatsu.

"Yuck," Mousse muttered under his breath. "Adding insult to injury in the worst possible way. Cologne was right, though."

He turned the page and discovered that the following section prefaced itself with the statement: Undoing the Effects of Chi-Draining.

"_That means that you can fix it!_" he thought to himself.

He was about to continue reading when Ranma called to him.

"Hey, duck-boy! Come on already. We've been accepted!"

«Yippee,» Mousse mumbled unconvincingly as he looked up.

The old man was facing away from them, while he pulled something out of a case attached to the wall. Mousse quickly folded the piece of paper he had been looking at and stuffed it up his sleeve before closing the book and walking over to join Ryoga and Ranma. He got there just as the old man turned back around, an ornate dagger cradled in both hands.

Holding out the knife, he said, "With this knife, you can kill the creature. It is the only weapon that will kill it, and it can be killed and destroyed with this knife alone, and no other."

The three young men stared at him for a few seconds. Then, Ranma reached out and took the knife, placing it in his belt.

"What next?" he questioned.

The old man gestured for them to follow him to the double doors he had been standing next to. He pulled one open, only enough for them to step through, then said, "Kentou," and shut the door, sealing them in.

«I'm sick of hiking!» Jesse yelled at a rock that had the misfortune of being in her way. She picked it up and hurled it back down the mountain in the direction she and her cousin had come from. They had been traveling for at least twelve hours, not counting the various necessary stops along the way. Tired and bored, but with no intentions of giving up, they had finally reached Muchitsujo-Yama, and were presently about halfway to the summit, and, consequently, the fortress of the Mokatsu.

Erin turned and regarded her cousin, who was giving an offending sapling a dirty look. «At least the scenery's pretty,» she offered helpfully, gesturing at all the trees around them.

Jesse shrugged. «I suppose. But I want a decent bathroom for a change.»

Erin wrinkled her nose slightly and muttered, «Eh, yeah, well. There is that…»

As they stood there contemplating the lack of suitable toilet facilities, there came the sound of crunching leaves from off to their right. Turning, they saw an older woman carrying a gathering basket, coming out of the woods. She looked up when she heard them.

"Welcome to Chaos Mountain," she intoned. "May I ask what you are doing here? This is no place for two young ladies to be taking an afternoon walk."

"We're not just taking a walk," Jesse returned. Then she added, "And we could ask the same of you."

"I live here…at least, in the general vicinity."

After they stared at one another for a few more moments, Erin answered the old woman's question. "We're traveling to the fortress of the creatures called Mokatsu. Our friends have gone to challenge the Master, and we're going after them."

The old lady acquired a knowing look. "Ah, yes, the three young men who came through here a while earlier, no?"

Jesse rolled her eyes. "Well, two of them, at least."

The woman merely nodded. Jesse was beginning to look rather impatient, and she nudged her cousin in the ribs to make this fact known.

Erin, for her part, addressed the woman. "We should probably be going on our way," she said, trying to excuse herself and her cousin as politely as possible. "They've already been gone over a day."

The old woman replied, "Yes, of course, and, kôun o inori masu!"

"Thank you," the two girls replied in unison.

As the old woman was turning to leave, a small, low-flying bird swooped over her head. When it was slightly behind her, it did something most unusual. It appeared to spasm in midair, and then drop to the ground, insensate. The three people stared at it.

"Stupid birds," the old woman groused. "They do that periodically. I think it must be something in the local water."

She waved farewell, and shuffled back into the forest. As she passed under the trees and disappeared, Erin watched the leaves above the woman rustle as if in a gentle breeze. Nevertheless, Erin could feel no wind whatsoever.

«Must be an updraft,» she mumbled in English, turning back to her cousin, who was bent over examining the bird.

After a few seconds, the bird righted itself, shook its feathers as if to clear its head, and took flight. Jesse and Erin watched for a moment before standing. Jesse shook her head in befuddlement.

«Weird, weird,» she muttered.

Then, they continued their ascent.

Upon closer inspection of their surroundings, Mousse, Ryoga, and Ranma saw that they had been left in a very large, long room with high, vaulted ceilings. Filling the whole room were large statues of various creatures, many of which the three had never before seen in their lives. The only light came from evenly spaced torches hanging from the walls, which only served to give the room an eerie glow and cast long shadows off the sculptures. Ranma began walking toward the opposite end of the room, and motioned the other two to follow him. As they walked, periodically stopping to look at particularly strange statues, Mousse finally broke the silence.

"So, what are we supposed to be doing?"

Ryoga turned and shrugged his shoulders. "The old man basically just told us that we should be prepared to meet up with the Mokatsu at any time after entering the Battle Room."

"Which is where we are," Ranma added.

"Right," Ryoga continued. "When we find it, or it finds us, Ranma's supposed to formally challenge it. Then, we try to destroy it while it tries to destroy us. Or, uh, we, um…"

"Die," Mousse finished for him. "Slowly and painfully. After which, it shall absorb our energy and in so doing become even harder for the next person to beat."

"Uh, yeah," muttered Ranma. "That's one way ta look at it."

"And, as the old man said," Mousse began, "we might be able to injure this creature, but we can only kill it by using that knife," here he pointed to the dagger in Ranma's belt, "right?"

The other two boys nodded. They walked in silence for a few yards before Mousse spoke up again.

"Actually," he said softly, "it gets a little worse."

Ranma and Ryoga abruptly stopped walking and turned to face the Chinese boy. Mousse was forced to stop too, lest he run into Ryoga.

"What do you mean, 'worse'?" asked the Lost Boy.

"Weeeell," Mousse stalled, "You see, I found this book in the hall, and well—"

"Spit it out, duck," Ranma commanded.

Mousse scowled at him for a moment, then said, "There was a great deal of information in that book, so I only read part of it. But, what I did read was absolutely fascinating, if somewhat gruesome."

Ranma and Ryoga glowered. "Mousse…"

"Oh, uh, sorry. Basically, this creature can change shape to aid it in its battles. And, it can teleport, so it is most likely going to be very hard to pin it down. Although, there is the possibility that it might consider that unsporting…although I wouldn't bet my life on it, and I might have to. Also," he continued, "we're going to have to fight both Mokatsu. They could come one at a time, one right after the other. However, just based on what I've heard so far about these things, it's probably more likely that they will choose to attack us at the same time."

The other two martial artists grimaced.

"That's going to be really annoying," Ryoga grumbled.

Ranma nodded, but then acquired one of his 'listen-to-me-brag-about-myself' looks, and said, "It ain't gonna matter. I've beaten greater odds than these. I can take 'em, no problem. It'll be a breeze."

Mousse put his hand to his face, and Ryoga rolled his eyes.

"Oh, boy…" Ryoga mumbled.

Mousse looked at them. "I wonder, do you really think that a mere showing of brute force will convince this entity to counteract our maladies?"

Ranma stared at him. "Huh?"

Ryoga muttered something under his breath, then turned to Ranma. "He means, if we beat it up, will it fix our curses."

"Oh," the pig-tailed martial artist said blandly.

Ranma began walking again, with Ryoga close behind, and Mousse trailing a little further back.

"That's what I said," the Chinese boy complained softly, once he was out of their hearing range.

They had been walking for another hundred yards or so when they reached the end of the statue garden and found themselves in a wide, open part of the room. It was better lit, with several large flames along the walls, and there was a door on the far wall, most likely leading to other parts of the castle.

Ranma turned to Mousse and Ryoga, and whispered, "We had better start bein' careful from now on."

A low, growling laugh echoed through the room. Ranma turned around, and looked up…and up. Behind him, he heard Ryoga gasp and Mousse choke. Standing before them was one of the largest bipedal creatures they had ever seen.

It was easily twenty feet tall, and its very being radiated raw, animalistic power. Almost humanoid in appearance, it had thick legs supporting a muscular torso with two main arms—complete with yellowing claws—underneath which were what looked like two more vestigial arms, with short tentacles instead of fingers. Bony plates covered its shoulders and ran, scale-like, down its back. It had nothing that could actually be called a neck, in any sense of the word, as its head seemed to connect almost directly to its torso. A huge slit was all it had for a mouth, but the inside was replete with sharp teeth, both small and large, and its eyes were small and black. In the middle of its forehead, was a third, lidless eye—blood red—with tendrils of black throughout. Its ears were set back on the sides of its head, and tapered to points. The creature had some sort of metallic adornment in one of them, which reflected the torchlight and glowed orange. It had nothing resembling clothing, but strange tatters of a fleshy material seemed to be growing on its body. A pungent odor, like rotting meat, emanated from it in warm waves.

The three martial artists stood there, staring dumbly. Even Ranma, normally loud and boastful, was silent. Ryoga glanced over at Mousse, who had turned a unique shade of gray, and was chewing on his bottom lip.

"Go ahead," the fanged boy mumbled out of the corner of his mouth. "Just say it."

Mousse swallowed. "We are all going to die."

"Pessimist," Ryoga huffed under his breath.

It took almost a full minute for Ranma to get himself together enough to speak. He summoned his bravado and ample ego, and issued the formal challenge.

"Venerable Mokatsu," he intoned, "we have traveled to your fortress seeking honorable combat with you."

Another growl sounded behind them. Ranma twitched, Mousse stiffened, and Ryoga turned his head to look. Behind them stood the Heir, having appeared noiselessly, like the Master had a few minutes before. Basically just a smaller version of its counterpart, it was only about nine feet, but still looked to be a formidable adversary. Ryoga's eyes narrowed as he thought to himself, "_This is not good_…"

The elder creature grinned menacingly, its fangs dripping saliva, and made a guttural noise. No words came out, but a grating, invasive thought implanted itself in their heads.

Very well, it projected to them. We accept your challenge.

Mousse turned slightly to Ryoga and whispered, "Whatever it is that it's doing is making my mind itch."

Ryoga nodded, then addressing both Ranma and Mousse, he said softly, "I'll take the Heir. You two concentrate on the Master."

The two other boys nodded. Ryoga turned so that he was back to back with them, before assuming a slightly crouched position, readying himself for an attack. Ranma took up a similar position, while Mousse readied his weapons. The pig-tailed boy nodded slightly to the waiting monster in front of him.

Let us commence, it projected simply. Then, the Mokatsu attacked.

"Ranma!" Mousse yelled over the din of battle. "Duck!"

At any other time, he might have found that comment ironic, but as things stood, no one was in any position to be amused by anything.

The three martial artists had been fighting the creature for what seemed like forever, but was actually closer to fifteen minutes. The fight had been uneven from the start. Although Ryoga was holding his ground against the Heir, he certainly had not succeeded in injuring it in any significant way. His strength was almost gone, and now his adrenaline was starting to give out. Sheer willpower drove him on; that, and the fact that he knew if he lost, he would shortly be very dead.

Even Ranma, normally able to claim swift victory over his opponents, was finding it increasingly difficult to catch his breath. He had been moving almost nonstop since the beginning of the battle, striking, blocking, and ducking, but with almost no visible effect on the Mokatsu. Their attacks had not even been able to perceptibly slow their foe.

After ducking the blow aimed at his head, Ranma glanced briefly over at his partner. The Chinese boy had metal claws strapped to one of his hands, and held a small mace in the other. He had been throwing weapons from his sleeves in great quantities since the start of the battle, and the floor was now strewn with hundreds of things, both sharp and blunt. The pig-tailed martial artist wondered briefly if Mousse would eventually run out of weapons, as he was fairly sure that he had recently seen a teddy-bear go flying through the air.

The Mokatsu, on the other hand, seemed unruffled, toying with its victims as a cat would with a mouse, just before it kills it. It rarely ever bothered to block the attacks and weapons, but rather dodged them. From its perspective, it was in absolutely no danger of being defeated by these puny humans who sought to destroy it. After all, not only were they rather weak, but without the knife, they could do nothing to it. And, due to a rather glaring error on Ranma's part, they no longer possessed it.

Ranma had been attempting to jump it from the side, while telling Mousse to distract it by throwing as many weapons as possible. The creature however, had sidestepped the projectiles at the last moment, resulting in Ranma falling short of his goal, quite literally. The Mokatsu had used his moment of instability to its own advantage, catching him off guard, and knocking the knife out of his hand. It skidded to a stop about fifty feet away, effectively placing it out of their immediate reach. Since that time, both Ranma and Mousse had been far too busy protecting their own existences to give much more than a fleeting thought to retrieving the knife, and Ryoga was much too far away.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryoga saw Ranma dodge one of the creature's leisurely attacks. He had a feeling that the Mokatsu were even more powerful than they had expected, and as such, did not feel a great need to expend much energy during this fight. To him, they seemed to be doing only enough to force him, and Ranma, and Mousse to wear themselves out, while inflicting only minute damage. He wondered when they would decide to actually attack, but at the same time, he hoped they wouldn't. He wanted to see Jesse again, even if he was still cursed.

Five or so minutes later, the three young men were almost spent. Ryoga was trying to gather enough chi to perform a Shishi Hôkôdan, Ranma was powering up for a Mouko Takabisha, and Mousse was searching his robes for a bomb, when the master Mokatsu stepped back. The three humans paused, slightly tense, in anticipation of a possible attack. The attack, however, never came. The Heir broke from its fight with Ryoga as the larger creature "spoke."

Excellent, it projected coldly. You have proven to be fascinating opponents. I have the power to destroy you all, but you amuse me.

Mousse and Ryoga exchanged worried looks, as Ranma glared at the creature for daring to call him "amusing."

It went on, You have fought harder and lasted longer than any of your predecessors. Never before have I found a battle with any creature as stimulating as this one has been. You have my appreciation. Because of this, I have decided to grant one of you your wish.

It turned slightly, raised its arm, and made a downward motion. A rift formed in midair, widening until it was a little larger than a person. Undulating sparkles and colors floated within, giving no hint of what was beyond it. Looking back at the three exhausted martial artists, the Mokatsu lifted one of its hands and pointed a clawed finger at Ranma.

I have selected you, it decided. You may step through the portal.

Ranma blinked; the creature's words filtering through the hot air that occupied his cranial cavity. The thought, "_I can get rid of my girl-half!_" flitted through his head, and he took a step towards the portal.

Mousse grabbed his arm, and Ranma turned to look at him. Mousse's face was blank, but his eyes were wide with apprehension.

"Ranma, how can you trust it?" Mousse whispered urgently. "You don't know what might be on the other side of that doorway. It could lead anywhere…oblivion, even!"

The pig-tailed teenager paused for a brief moment. Then, shaking off Mousse's hand impatiently, he turned back to the portal.

"Aw, you're just jealous," he grumbled at the other boy over his shoulder. Then, "No more curse!" he cried, as he ran up to the portal and leaped in, leaving Mousse standing there, his mouth hanging open.

It took Mousse and Ryoga a moment to register that Ranma had actually just leapt through the offered doorway to an as yet undisclosed location.

"You jerk," Ryoga snarled.

Mousse, however, was slipping into panic. "No!" he yelled after Ranma. "It's lying! Remember what Cologne told us!"

But it was too late; the portal shut on Mousse's words. He took a shaking breath and looked back at the master Mokatsu. It was grinning evilly.

Foolish human, it projected to him, an undercurrent of malice in its words, you almost ruined my plan. For that, I will punish you. And then, I will kill you.

It took a step towards him, and he in turn, backed up, almost tripping on a pike from earlier in the fight. Ryoga, sensing the other boy's distress, was about to go to help, when a low growl came from behind him, and a voice echoed in his head.

Where do you think you are going, mammal? asked the Heir.

Then, it rushed him, its clawed fingers stretched out, ready to impale.

«I can see it!» Jesse, who was standing on a large rock, called to Erin.

The other girl looked up from tying her shoe. Her cousin was pointing to the top of the mountain, where the peak of a stone tower could just be seen above the tree line. She estimated that it would take them another fifteen or twenty minutes of hiking to reach the base of the Mokatsu's fortress. Jumping up on the rock next to Jesse, Erin shaded her eyes with her hand, and stared for a moment.

«I have a very bad feeling about this,» she mumbled.

«Come on,» Jesse prompted, hoping off the boulder, and picking up her backpack which she had previously deposited on the ground. «We should be there soon.» She paused. «And then we can beat the stuffing out of Ranma for pulling all of us into this.»

Erin glanced down at her cousin with a slight smile. «I thought that we told Cologne we wouldn't interfere in his 'quest'?»

Jesse did her best to look innocent. «Oh,» she said sweetly, «we won't _interfere_ in his quest. Just…_delay_ it a bit…»

Erin laughed and jumped off the rock as well. «Riiiiight…» she said as she retrieved her own backpack. «Delay…»

The two girls continued up the mountain, reaching the base of the Mokatsu's castle inside twenty minutes. Standing directly in front of the large, jet-black metal doors, Erin and Jesse paused for a moment.

Jesse broke the silence. «What do you think?»

Erin looked lost in thought for a moment before answering. «I think,» she began, sounding very serious, «that those doors break the sixty-fifth rule of being an Evil Overlord.»

Her cousin snickered. «Remind me which one that is.»

Erin, who was grinning slightly, looked at her cousin and replied, «You know, the one about, 'I will make the main entrance to my fortress standard-sized. While elaborate 60-foot high double-doors definitely impress the masses, they are hard to close quickly in an emergency.'»

Jesse twitched. «Oh, yeah, that one…»

Finally, Erin turned to Jesse. «Alrighty then,» she said, gesturing sweepingly at the doors. «Shall we?»

«Surely!» replied Jesse.

The older cousin reached out and knocked loudly on the elaborate entrance. Shortly after the echo of her knock had faded, the doors swung slowly open, revealing the oppressive blackness inside. The two girls looked at each other with a shared expression of suppressed excitement barely overshadowed by worry.

After a short moment of indecision, they stepped through together into the lair of the Mokatsu.

Ryoga hurled himself out of the way of the Heir's razor sharp claws for at least the fifth time. He landed on the floor, rolling just in time to avoid a downward slash from the monster. After Ranma had disappeared, the creatures had showed their true colors: fast, powerful, vicious, and sadistic. Ryoga had been struggling to survive, and his skills as a martial artist were not helping him much. How could you attack something that never let you stop dodging? He never had the time to try to find the Breaking Point of any of the stones lining the floor, and a chi blast was certainly out of the question. The second he tried to stand still long enough to gather his chi, the thing would dice him. He was beginning to wonder if he could modify his Depression Blast into a Frustration Blast, but the Mokatsu never gave him the chance to try.

"_Maybe Mousse was right_," he thought to himself as he dodged yet another of the Heir's swipes. "_Maybe we are going to die_."

As soon as he thought it, however, he banished that option from his mind. He was absolutely unwilling to acknowledge the possibility that this creature might be the instrument of his death. He did know, though, that if he was to have any chance of winning, he would have to come up with a different strategy, and soon. He already had several minor injuries, from times when his dodging had been a little slower than it should have, and the Heir was a fast learner, adapting to everything he had tried so far.

"_I'm running out of ideas_!" he complained silently.

Then, he ducked behind a statue as the creature once more swung its sickle-like claws at his head. Although the blow missed Ryoga, it sliced the head and shoulders off the statue he was hiding behind, showering him with dust and small pieces of sculpture.

"Rrrrrrrrr," he growled in frustration, as he was forced to leap out of the way yet again.

"Ouch!" Mousse grunted as he smashed into the sculpture of some type of unidentifiable bird. He rolled over and grabbed the sword he had dropped on the floor when he landed.

Whereas the heir Mokatsu seemed determined to slice Ryoga into ribbons, the Master seemed to prefer tossing Mousse about like a rag doll. Every time he tried to attack it, it would either dodge or block the attack, then backhand him, hurling him bodily into whatever happened to be in his path. It was both frustrating and painful.

Mousse rubbed the back of his fist against his forehead, trying to wipe off a thin trail of blood before it could trickle into his eye. A small gash ran from just above his left eyebrow to his temple, courtesy of one of his Mokatsu-induced flights into a particularly pokey statue of something that, as near as he could tell, resembled a platypus with spines. Fortunately, his glasses were still on his face as he slowly stood to face the Master again.

The creature seemed to smile at him. I will greatly enjoy draining your energy and adding it to my own, it projected to him. Of course, you will die almost immediately afterward. Pity. You have been fairly gratifying prey.

Resisting the urge to tell it, "over my dead body", as it would probably take him at his word, Mousse risked a quick glance around him. About forty feet to his left, the knife given to them by the doorkeeper lay forgotten on the stone floor.

"_That's my only chance_," he thought desperately, as the Mokatsu advanced on him, claws outstretched.

Mousse dropped the sword suddenly, turned, and ran as fast as he could towards his only possible means of victory. The Mokatsu however, quickly figured out what he was attempting. Moving amazingly fast for something of its bulk, it lunged after him, intent on preventing him from attaining the dagger. It aimed a blow directly at his head, claws extended. They would have sliced straight through Mousse's neck had he not, in his haste, tripped over a loose flagstone. The Chinese boy sprawled on the ground, the deadly claws slashing harmlessly through the air above him. He rolled out of the way, as it thrust at him once more.

The sought-after knife lay less than four feet to his left, as he lay on the ground. Mousse pushed himself to his knees, and reached for it. His fingers had just brushed the handle when a searing pain shot through his left leg, and he yelled in shock and agony. The creature's claws had finally found a purchase, and it dragged him backwards, ripping a long gash in his pants, and consequently, his leg, from the middle of his thigh to his ankle, before it lost its grip on him. Mousse was now at least ten feet from the dagger, and it was all he could do to limp out of direct range of the Master.

At least two hundred feet away, Ryoga was busy trying to avoid the attacks of the Heir when he heard Mousse's pained cry. Startled by the exclamation, he made the mistake of turning to look. The Heir used the opportunity to strike him in the chest. The blow drew four thin cuts across his torso, and sent him hurtling backwards into a nearby statue. The Lost Boy crashed into the top of the rock sculpture, then slid down and landed on the floor with a loud thump, his right leg twisted under him at an odd angle.

The smaller creature began advancing on him, a gleeful, wicked grin on its distorted face. Left without any other options, and unable to stand, Ryoga began trying to build enough depressive chi to perform a Shishi Hôkôdan. However, having the Mokatsu coming at him "maliciously and with intent to wound" did nothing for his concentration.

Mousse winced as he watched Ryoga hit the ground. There was absolutely nothing he could do, though, as the larger Mokatsu was preparing for what would probably be its final attack. The young man was standing propped against one of the smaller statues, as he was having trouble putting any weight on his injured leg. He was running low on weapons; he estimated that he only had enough left for one more attack, and the creature seemed to be tiring of its game.

"_This is it_," Mousse thought silently. "_It's going to kill me, and there's not a thing I can do about it_…" He paused for a second, then decided, "_I refuse to die just sitting here. If it gets my life energy, it's going to have to work for it_!"

All of a sudden, the Master leaped towards him. Mousse ducked under its first strike, and ran to the side, ignoring the burning pain in his leg to the best of his ability. He skidded to a stop about twenty-five feet away from the creature, turned, and threw every last weapon he had in his possession. The massive barrage flew towards the astounded monster. Its eyes narrowed, and just as the first of the weapons would have connected, it disappeared. Mousse gave a startled cry as the weapons crashed into several of the statues lining the battle area. The master Mokatsu was nowhere to be seen.

Ryoga started when he heard Mousse's exclamation of shock. For some reason that he could not fathom, the Heir had stopped its advance, giving him the chance to turn around. He could see the Chinese boy standing in the middle of the battle area, favoring one leg, with a very confused and slightly frightened look on his face. He turned, wide-eyed, to look at the young man sitting on the ground.

Ryoga was trying to decide what to do, when all of a sudden the Master reappeared only a few feet in front of Mousse with a very angry expression on its face.

I have grown tired of this game, it 'said' darkly. It is time for your pathetic existence to cease.

Mousse stumbled backwards in terror as one of the creature's arms shot towards him. He was unable to stop it as it grabbed him by the shoulder, its large hand closing like a vise on him.

"Don't kill me, please…" he whispered, almost inaudibly.

Ryoga was forced to watch helplessly as the gargantuan beast placed one of its other hands flat against Mousse's chest. Then, using an attack that neither boy knew it was capable of, it shot a long, thin bone spike out of the center of its palm. The Lost Boy screamed in furious protest as the spike slammed through Mousse's body. The Chinese boy's only sound was a short, ragged gasp, as he stared dazedly at the creature that had just impaled him.

Ryoga began to glow, his depression mingling with his anger to form an emerald green battle aura. "_This is my fault_," he mentally accused himself. "_I should have stopped it, somehow_…"

After a moment of absolute stillness, an icy blue aura formed around Mousse and the spike still embedded in his chest; he shuddered. It only took Ryoga a second to figure out what the Mokatsu was doing.

"Leave him alone!" Ryoga screamed at the creature.

It completely ignored him, intent on the task before it. After less than a minute, the aura flickered, then faded all together. Having drained his chi energy, the Mokatsu withdrew the spike as Mousse moaned softly. "I'm sorry," he whispered to someone who was not there. The Master released the Chinese boy. Ryoga watched helplessly as Mousse crumpled to a heap on the stones. Then, the creature opened a portal similar to the one it had sent Ranma through, and disappeared inside, leaving Mousse's body on the floor.

Behind him, Ryoga heard a snort. He turned back to face the Heir; it was laughing scornfully.

One less worthless human, it projected with obvious derision.

That did it. Ryoga's battle aura flared in barely contained fury. He placed his hands in front of him.

"SHISHI HÔKÔDAN!" he screamed.

A huge green blast of chi energy shot from his palms. It streaked toward the Heir, barely seven feet away. The blast caught it completely by surprise, hitting it squarely in the center of its body and carrying it back several yards into the wall. When it hit, there was a blinding flash of green light, and the Heir was gone. By the time Ryoga's vision came back, all that was left was a scorch mark on the wall and a burnt smell in the air.

The young man heaved a sigh of defeat as he thought of Mousse's fallen body. Then, he slumped back against the statue and closed his eyes, wondering what he could possibly do now.

It was dark in the hallway Jesse and Erin found themselves in after walking through the impressive front door of the fortress. As both girls were quite well versed in science fiction and all its eccentricities, neither one was surprised or startled when the door slammed behind them, of its own initiative. They stood a moment, letting their eyes adjust to the dark before proceeding forward. This time, there was no one there to meet the newcomers.

The two girls looked around, and Jesse immediately walked over to the large double doors barring the entrance to the Battle Room. She knocked on them, and when she received no answer, she tried to open them. When that, too, failed, she began looking up and down the ornate carvings on the doors, trying to find some means of unlatching them.

Her cousin, on the other hand, had already noticed the large black book that sat off to the left of the doors, and had gone to look at it. After admiring the knotted design on the cover, she began flipping pages, scanning to get a general idea of the content. Although, like Mousse, she was unable to decipher any of the first language, the others, she at least recognized.

"_Hmm_," she thought to herself, "_Let's see. We've got Japanese, Chinese… Whoa, _really_ bad English, and, um, Spanish. Unique_…"

She began reading the English column, skipping any information she already knew, or deemed unnecessary. When she reached the part about fighting, she slowed down, and paid more attention. She found the part about the Mokatsu's ability to drain energy particularly fascinating, and also, disturbing.

«Hey, Jess, come 'ere,» she called her cousin over.

«What?»

The older girl pointed to the page in front of her, the one that told about the Mokatsu's abilities to teleport, and to not only kill, but to gain energy from those it killed.

«Read this,» she said, looking up at her cousin with a mildly unsettled expression.

Erin moved to the side to allow Jesse to get a better look at the words. Acquiring a look of deep concentration, the blond girl began to carefully read the section her cousin had shown her. When she had finished, she was scowling.

«Cologne never mentioned anything about that,» she said stiffly.

Erin shrugged, and replied, «Must've slipped her mind.»

Jesse snorted. Then, looking back down at the offending text, she said, «It sort of sounds incomplete. Like whoever wrote it forgot to finish the thought.» She reread the last paragraph, then turned to the next page and scanned down the English column. «Hey!» she complained suddenly, «It is unfinished.»

Jesse pointed to the book, and Erin got closer to see what her cousin had found. Sure enough, the next page started in the middle of a completely unrelated topic.

«There's a page missing,» Erin muttered, somewhat unnecessarily.

Jesse looked slightly peeved. «I wonder what went there?»

Erin smiled wanly. «Probably the Hints and Tips page,» she said with a slight giggle.

«Well, piff!» Jesse grumbled.

The two girls had been looking through the book for at least another few minutes, when they heard a noise behind them. Turning, they were confronted with the same little old man who had greeted their predecessors. He looked slightly haggard, and was a bit out of breath. Nevertheless, he made a slight bow.

Straightening, he queried, in Japanese, "Is there something with which you require assistance that I might be able to help you with?"

The two girls looked at each other, then back at the doorkeeper. After a moment of silence, Jesse said, "Yes, there is. You see, we have a little problem…"

"No more curse!" Ranma cried, as he ran up to the portal and leaped in, leaving Mousse standing there, his mouth hanging open.

As soon as Ranma's feet touched the ground on the other side, the colorful doorway shut. He had landed in a small room, with tiles covering everything: floor, walls, and ceiling. There was a black door on the wall opposite him, covered in ornate scrollwork. It was actually a very pretty room, but there was just one problem. After approximately one third of a second, Ranma deduced that there was absolutely no air whatsoever.

Unfortunately for him, when he had landed, he had exhaled sharply on impact, simply out of reflex. It meant, though, that he had very little air left. He pressed his hands over his mouth and nose, to prevent any more air from escaping without his prior consent.

"_Gotta get to the door_," he thought frantically. "_Can almost reach it_…"

He concentrated on forcing himself to move toward the door at the far end of the room. It was hard to think, as he had been unable to inhale for almost a minute. Colorful spots and flashes danced at the corners of his vision, as he stumbled forward, striving to attain his only means of egress.

"_Come on, Saotome_," he snarled at himself mentally. "_You've fought harder battles than this before, and you've always come out on top_."

He was getting closer; for some reason, the room seemed a lot longer than he had originally estimated. He was almost there. Five feet, four feet, three, two… He reached out for the doorknob, and life, when, obscenely, the door _curved_—actually, bent away from him, taking itself out of his reach. Against all known laws of matter and science, the room somehow elongated itself, and the door had bowed outward.

Ranma knew he could not hold his breath for much longer; he was pressing into two minutes. Desperately, giving an inward cry of frustration and defiance, he lunged at the door, hoping to…take it by surprise, maybe?

Thwarted again; his outstretched hand touched only air, and the last remnants of oxygen stored in his lungs were forced out as he thudded heavily against the tiled floor. The only possible solution he could think of was to simply remove the door with a chi blast. He lacked an opponent on which to focus a Hiryû Shôten Ha, so a Mouko Takabisha was his only option. (He wished he knew how Ryoga performed a Depression Blast, as it seemed particularly fitting to the moment, but…) Unfortunately, Ranma was not feeling particularly confident as he began to build his chi, while his peripheral vision failed him.

"_This is it_," he thought, "_all or nothin_'!"

"Mouko Takabisha!" he managed to croak.

A faint orange glow formed around his hands, and a slight tendril of focused chi slinked towards the door, but dissipated before it came anywhere close. Ranma watched in growing shock as his last chance failed…miserably. His eyes bulged, as his body betrayed him, sucking spasmodically for something that was not present. He pounded the ground weakly in utter frustration.

"_This sucks_!" his mind screamed.

Somewhere off in the distance, on the edge of his consciousness, he could hear faint, mocking laughter. His last thought, before his eyes closed, was, "_You were right, ya stupid duck_…" And then, the blackness claimed him.

It took Jesse and Erin less than two minutes to explain their situation to the doorkeeper, who listened patiently until they were done.

"So," Jesse concluded, "Have you seen a Japanese guy with a bandana and a Chinese guy with really long hair?

The old man paused for a moment and stroked his beard.

"I thought you said at the beginning that there were three young men traveling together, with the intention, of course, of defeating the Mokatsu." He gave a slight chuckle at that part. "Did you not?"

Erin interjected. "Um, yes. There's also a guy with a pigtail with them. He likes to pretend he knows what's going on, but frequently he just comes across as overconfident."

The doorkeeper nodded knowingly. "Yes," he told them finally. "I have seen them. However, they have already been granted access, and have entered the Battle Room. And, now that they have entered the Battle Room, after gaining entrance, of course, they have engaged the Mokatsu. No one is allowed in until they are completely finished. Although, I believe they already are…"

The two cousins stared at him intently, as he took a breath before continuing with his speech. "I'm afraid, though, that it doesn't matter. Only those who challenge the Mokatsu are permitted entrance into the Battle Room and beyond, should they get that far."

Erin and Jesse spent a few moments in deep contemplation of the flagstones on the floor while they digested this new information. Finally, Jesse spoke up.

"Sorry, Cologne," she mumbled. Then, she blurted, "All right. _We_ challenge the Mokatsu!"

The doorkeeper blinked a few times, and Erin closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them, she stared at her cousin with a "have-you-gone-nuts!" look on her face. Jesse shrugged. Erin began to say something to the old man, then paused. She looked back at her cousin and something akin to a smile passed over her features.

"Well," she said, "you heard her." And here, she did smile…slightly. "We hereby officially challenge the Mokatsu."

The old doorkeeper stared blankly at the two young women for at least half a minute. They were almost beginning to wonder whether or not he had fallen asleep with his eyes open, when he finally spoke.

"Very well, your challenge has been accepted." He turned around, and when he turned back, he was holding a dagger very similar to the one he had given to Ranma. "Here," he told them. "You will need this."

Erin took the proffered knife, and the man proceeded to give them the same speech he had given the first group. When he had finished, he went to the carved doors leading to the Battle Room.

"Good luck," he said formally, then, he began to open the doors.

"_Why couldn't _I_ do that_?" Jesse thought.

He only had them open about a foot when two very single-minded girls went darting past him into the Battle Room. They did not even notice when he closed the doors behind them, locking them in with whatever lay beyond. A wisp of a cold smile flitted across the doorkeeper's face as he turned away and walked back down the corridor.

"Fascinating," he muttered to himself.

The two girls hardly noticed the strange statues that filled the room, as they ran between them, frequently looking around to see if they could find any of the boys. After a couple minutes, they reached the end of the statues, and found themselves at the place where the Mokatsu had fought Ranma, and Mousse, and Ryoga. They stopped and surveyed the scene.

"Oh, Jesse," Erin said softly, "look at all of this."

Her cousin gazed around at all the various weapons on the ground, mixed with broken bits of sculptures, and bandannas from Ryoga's Iron Cloth technique.

"There was definitely a major battle here," Jesse agreed. "But where are they?"

About ten feet to their left, Ryoga, still sitting against the statue where he had fallen, opened his eyes.

"_That's strange_," he thought, "_I was sure I heard voices_."

He waited for a few moments, listening intently, when he heard it again. It seemed to be coming from somewhere on the other side of the statue. Painfully, and with much effort, he supported himself with his hands and leaned sideways to see who was there.

It was Jesse, talking to her cousin in hushed whispers. Ryoga's first thought was that he was hallucinating. But, as he watched them, he decided that they seemed too real to be figments of his imagination.

"J-Jesse?" he stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

Both young ladies immediately spun around. As soon as they saw him, they ran over and dropped down on the floor, Erin in front of him, and Jesse beside him. He got hugs from both girls, followed by several kisses from Jesse, mixed with scolding about the insanity of the whole endeavor. After a minute or so, when the sheer relief of finding him alive was wearing off, Erin finally asked the question he had been dreading since the end of the battle.

"Ryoga," she questioned softly, "where is Mousse?"

His face fell as he looked up at her. Instead of answering, he began rapidly apologizing, a look of utter failure on his face. She had to break in and ask again. He looked down, and sighed defeatedly.

Pointing farther down the row of sculptures, he said slowly, "He's over there."

He looked back at Erin, as she quickly got up, and jogged off in the direction he had indicated, leaving Jesse by his side, with a confused look on her face.

"I'm so sorry," Ryoga called after the older girl, but she had not heard him.

Erin looked down each of the rows she went past, looking for some sign of her Chinese boy. About twelve rows from Ryoga, and a little more than ten feet in front of her, she saw something. It looked like the tip of a black shoe poking out from behind one of the larger statues. She quickly ran to the other side of the sculpture, and stopped, letting out a soft cry.

It was Mousse, collapsed on the ground, flat on his back, his eyes closed and a large red stain on his chest, where a hole marred his robe. He had a cut on his face, a long gash on his left leg, and she could see blood on the floor under him. He was very, very still. Erin dropped her backpack and knelt beside him. Carefully brushing a strand of hair off his face, she placed two fingers gently against his throat. His pulse was slow and slightly erratic, but there. His eyes fluttered open at her touch.

"Erin," he whispered, "Is that really you?"

Beginning to cry softly, she scooped his upper body into her arms, and cradled his head against her shoulder.

"It's me, Mousse," she told him. "I came for you."

He tried to smile at her, but grimaced in pain. He groaned quietly.

"Everything hurts," he murmured.

Erin stroked his cheek, and gazed at him. She wanted to tell him that everything would be fine, and that he would be all right, but in reality, she knew that he was about to die in her arms.

"I know," she said. "I wish I could make it stop."

He looked at her face. "I'm sorry," he told her. "I wanted to tell you…I should have told you. Forgive me," he begged.

"I do. I promise. It's «O.K.»"

He looked relieved. Shifting slightly in her embrace, he reached up and gently touched her cheek.

She smiled at him. "I love you, Duck-boy." When she said it, it was no insult, but a sign of affection.

This time, he really did smile. Then he moaned, and grabbed her arm, clinging to her as if for dear life, which he might have been.

"Erin…" he whimpered.

"What is it?"

He trembled in her arms, and tried to hold her. He shut his eyes and laid his head against her.

"I love—" he murmured.

Then, he shuddered once, and went limp, his arms sliding from around her neck.

"Mousse…" she whispered softly.

She laid her cheek on top of his hair, and held him, until Jesse's voice broke the silence.

"Erin, can you help me for a minute?"

Stroking Mousse's face one last time, and kissing him lightly on the forehead, Erin whispered, "I'll always love you, my dearest one."

Then, gently lowering his slender body onto the floor, she stood up, and slowly walked over to her cousin and Ryoga.

Jesse looked up to see Erin coming towards her. She was about to finish her earlier comment, when she noticed streaks of blood all down the front of her cousin's shirt.

"Oh my goodness!" she gasped. "What happened! Where's Mousse? Are you hurt?"

"_Only on the inside_," Erin thought to herself. Then, almost whispering, she said, "It's not my blood." There was an unusual intensity in her voice. "It's Mousse's," she finished. "That…creature…stabbed him." She let out a small, shaking sob. "Jesse, he's…he's dead."

Jesse's eyes widened in shock, and then, she stared at the ground, unsure of what to tell her cousin. Erin sat down next to Ryoga, who looked horrified.

"Please," he begged her, "forgive me. There was nothing I could do."

The girl nodded slowly. "I believe you," she told him, as reassuringly as she could manage.

They sat in silence for a long moment. Erin stared up at the ceiling, and then, at the Japanese boy next to her.

"What happened here, Ryoga?"

He sighed, and then, beginning with their departure from Nerima, told the two girls everything that had transpired since. He ended with the Master's final attack on Mousse, and his last battle with the Heir. When he finished, the two cousins were quite disgusted with Ranma's conduct, albeit not very surprised.

"Sounds just like something he would do," Jesse groused under her breath.

Erin stared at her, and then, picking up on a loose end, asked, "What was it you needed my help with?"

"Oh, um, Ryoga's leg."

"What about it?"

The blond girl pointed to the young man's right leg, which he had landed on. She had already helped him stretch it out, but she was unsure what to do after that.

Shoving her hurt as far away as possible, Erin focused on the problem at hand. "Do you think it's broken?"

Ryoga shook his head. "I just think I sprained it pretty badly. Painkillers might be nice."

The older girl smiled a little. Jesse spoke up.

"The First Aid kit is in your backpack."

"Oh, right." Erin reached down to get it, and discovered that it was no longer beside her. A confused expression flitted across her face. Then she realized where it was. "I left it by Mousse," she told her cousin.

Jesse looked concerned. "Do you want me to get it?"

"No. I will."

Erin stood up, and began walking back towards her boyfriend's body. When she got there, she reached down, fully intending to retrieve said backpack, and return as quickly as possible, but something held her back. She slung the strap over her shoulder, and paused, turning to look at Mousse. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his arm; there was a crackling noise, like paper rustling. Erin squeezed his arm gently, and it happened again.

She thought about it for a moment. After all, it was Mousse, and he did have a habit of storing things in his sleeves. She smiled at the memories of some of the strange things she had seen him pull out. Then, her thoughts drifted back to her arrival at the fortress, and the strange black book in the hall. It had been missing a page.

"You wouldn't have…" she said to the lifeless boy lying on the floor.

Before she could stop to think about what she was doing, Erin stuck her arm up Mousse's sleeve and felt her fingers brush against a piece of paper. She grabbed it, and pulled it out.

"Erin," she heard her cousin call out. "Are you all right?"

"I'm coming," she mumbled.

Sticking the folded paper in the pocket of her jeans, she walked quickly back to her cousin and Ryoga, arriving in the middle of a conversation.

"I intend to finish this," she heard Ryoga say.

The brunette sat down next to her cousin, and began rummaging through her backpack, looking for the First Aid kit.

"Ryoga," Jesse admonished, "are you serious? I mean, look what's happened already, and who knows what Ranma's gotten himself into. The idiot…"

"I know, Jesse, but I need to do this. It's not just about a cure for my curse anymore." He paused, glancing at Erin, and then, in the general direction of Mousse, before looking back at his incredulous girlfriend. "Now it's _personal_," he said forcefully.

She shrugged, as Erin pulled the kit out of her backpack and opened it. The two girls set to work wrapping Ryoga's leg from the knee down, and finding suitable medication for his discomfort. When they had finished, Erin stood up, walked a few feet away, and sat down against a particularly strange statue of what looked like a panda bear with horns. She pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket, and began to read.

Several minutes went by before Jesse decided to go check on her cousin. She left Ryoga sitting by the statue and walked over to where the other girl had retreated. Erin was so engrossed in studying the piece of paper she had found that she did not even notice Jesse's approach until the younger girl sat down next to her. Erin looked up from her reading.

«Hi,» Jesse said in English. «Just checking on you.»

Erin nodded, the look on her face saying, "More input, please."

«Erin, are you O.K.?» Jesse asked. «I mean, you've been pretty quiet since, well, you know…»

Erin sighed and propped her arms on her knees.

«I'll be all right, I guess. I need to save my crying for later. If I start now, I won't be able to stop.»

Her cousin nodded, and was about to stand up, when Erin continued.

«I suppose it sort of works like maniacal laughter does for evil overlords.»

Jesse raised a disturbed eyebrow. «How's that again?»

Erin looked at the blond girl, and smiled slightly. «You know, "Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in sobbing. When so involved it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly."»

Jesse blinked. «Yeeeah…»

Her cousin, however, was not finished. «Also, I don't think Mousse is dead.»

That got the other girl's attention. Her eyes widened as her cousin began to elaborate. Erin held up the piece of paper she had been reading earlier.

«Remember how the book in the hallway was missing a page?»

«Uh, huh.»

«Well, I found it.»

Jesse looked up as Ryoga limped over to see what the two girls were discussing.

Switching back to Japanese for Ryoga's benefit, Jesse questioned, "Where on earth did you get it?"

"Mousse had it."

A vague look of worry passed over Jesse's face, but she decided not to ask for further clarification.

Ryoga sat down, allowing his confusion to show on his face. "What are we talking about?" he whispered to his girlfriend.

Erin answered instead. "Did Mousse ever mention a large black book by the front entrance?"

Ryoga nodded. "He told us several things that he had read in it. Like, the Mokatsu's ability to change its shape, and the way it drains people's energy when it kills them…" he drifted off at the end, but Erin did not seem to notice.

"That's it," she confirmed. "Actually, it can only assume the shapes of people that it's absorbed. But it's the other part that's really important." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then continued. "See, when Mousse found the book, he wasn't able to read all of it, I guess, so he took one of the pages with him. I found it when I went to get my backpack. It talks about what happens when a Mokatsu drains someone's chi energy…like it did to Mousse."

Ryoga stared at the floor, and Jesse put her hand on his arm. Erin went on.

"This particular page says that there's a way to reverse the process!"

The Lost Boy's head snapped up, and he stared at her intently. "What did you say?"

"According to this," she said, looking down at the page, then back up at her audience, "the absorption process isn't instant. It takes a period of about twelve hours for one of the creatures to fully integrate another person's chi energy into its own. During that period, if you kill the creature, the life-energy of anyone it has drained in the past twelve hours reverts to the original person!" she concluded triumphantly.

She was rewarded with two very blank stares.

Jesse spoke up. "You wanna try running that by us again?"

"It means," Erin started over, "that if we can kill the master Mokatsu before midnight, at least, which is in about eleven hours, Mousse will get his chi energy back. So, he won't be dead, or on pause, or whatever it is that he is now." When she finished, she was breathing a bit faster than normal.

Ryoga stared at her for a minute. "But Erin," he said gently, but with disbelief evident in his voice, "technically, Mousse died from his injuries, not the chi-stealing. So, how would getting his chi energy back help him any?" Erin opened her mouth to answer, but he continued. "And, even if it did, why wouldn't he die of his wounds all over again?"

Erin finally lost it. She turned to Ryoga and began waving her arms in the air and yelling. "Look, it's a legend for crying out loud, not a scientific thesis! I'm sorry, but it didn't come with a four-page proof!"

She calmed down just a touch, and took a deep breath. "All I know," she continued more quietly, "is that this piece of paper tells me that there might be a way for me to save Mousse…" She rubbed her forehead with her hand as she spoke. "I love him, and I am _not_ willing to lose him, so I intend to try."

Jesse and Ryoga stared at her, waiting for her to finish.

She sighed and then concluded, "You were planning to fight the thing again anyway, right? I'm simply giving you another reason. Ryoga, you said that you felt partially responsible for Mousse's death. Please help me fix that. You'd do the same thing if it had been you and Jesse."

Looking at it that way, Ryoga had to agree. He stared at the ground for a moment, then looked up at Erin.

"What the heck," he said with a small smile. "I've fought a multi-headed dragon that had another head instead of a body, while wearing high heels, make-up, and a dress. Compared to that, this all sounds perfectly sane."

Erin grinned for the first time since they had entered the Battle Room. Ryoga smiled back, oblivious to the horrified look Jesse had been giving him since he had mentioned high heels.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Erin then added, "Although, since I don't know how this is going to work once we defeat the creature, we're going to have to bring Mousse with us."

Ryoga wrinkled his nose. "All right," he mumbled, "but the minute he starts to stink, he's outta here."

Jesse's jaw dropped at his comment, and Erin gave him a look that could have curdled fresh milk.

He laughed nervously, realizing what he had just said. "I didn't really mean it… It was a joke, honest!"

"Well, it _wasn't_ funny."

"Sorry…" he muttered, sounding fairly repentant.

Around ten minutes later, the trio finally started moving again. Ryoga, who felt bad about his rather tasteless earlier comment, offered to carry Mousse's body, even though he was slightly adverse to the idea. He wondered what exactly Erin had been planning to do before he had volunteered, but he wisely decided not to ask. So, after, Jesse and Erin put their backpacks on, and Ryoga had scooped Mousse off the floor and slung him (as gently as humanly possible under the circumstances) over his shoulder, they began working their way toward the door at the end of the Battle Room.

Once they arrived, Erin reached out, and gave the handle a few quick jabs with her finger. The other two teenagers stared at her like she had just gone a little crazier.

"What?" she said primly. "I was just checking to make sure it wasn't going to explode, or get red hot, or grow spikes, or anything. Do you mind?"

Ryoga shrugged. Under the circumstances, he supposed, it was not so ridiculous. Jesse just rolled her eyes and muttered, "You read waaay too much science fiction…"

Finally convinced that the door handle was as safe as it was ever going to be, Erin pressed down on the latch and pushed on the door. Nothing happened. After two or three more tries, once with Jesse helping her, the three began to wonder whether it was just stuck, or actually locked. Ryoga was to the point where he was considering chi-blasting the door.

"Jesse, Erin, move out of the way," he told the two girls, while looking for the best place to lay his charge.

Erin was still standing in front of the door. "Wait a second," she mumbled, while examining the door hinges. "I do believe I have discovered the source of our difficulties."

Turning back, she reached out and grasped the door handle. Then, again pushing down on the latch, she pulled. The door swung open. Ryoga shook his head, as Jesse pounded her forehead with the palm of her hand. Erin sighed as she followed Ryoga and her cousin through the door.

"It's been a _long_ day…"

Thirty-two long, twisting, identical passageways later, Jesse, Erin, and Ryoga were getting tired. The door from the Battle Room had led them into a seemingly endless maze of halls. There were doors at regular intervals, but so far, they had all led into more halls. There did not seem to be any more rooms. They had been searching for almost four hours, and were getting frustrated. Erin, especially, was getting nervous the longer they continued.

Finally, Ryoga had had enough. After more than two hundred minutes of walking on a sprained knee, while carrying Mousse's dead weight—no pun intended—he was too worn out to continue.

"I have to rest for a minute," he told the cousins, who were a few feet ahead of him in the passage. "My leg can't take anymore."

Jesse nodded and walked back to him; Erin shifted anxiously from one foot to the other, then nodded as well. She helped Ryoga set Mousse carefully on the flagstones, and then handed the bandanna wearing martial artist a bottle of water.

After a few minutes of sitting on the floor, drinking, staring at each other, and trying to ignore the fact that one of them was no longer breathing, Jesse snapped. "This is getting us precisely NOWHERE!"

"Settle down, dear," her cousin suggested calmly, "before you burst something."

"Hey," Ryoga interjected, "that gives me an idea."

The two girls turned to him expectantly.

"Walking through all these insane corridors is pointless," he observed, rather unnecessarily. "What we need is a way to get around them."

Erin smiled. "What a lovely «B.F.O.»"

"Huh?"

"It's an abbreviation a friend of mine uses. It stands for «Bright Flash of the Obvious.»"

Ryoga looked a bit put out. Erin placed a placating hand on his arm.

"Don't be offended. I was just kidding. Besides, I think I know where you're going with this."

"Well _I_ don't!" complained Jesse.

Ryoga, not wanting his thunder stolen, explained quickly. "I can use my Breaking Point Technique to, well…"

"Plow straight _through_ the surrounding obstructions?" Jesse supplied helpfully.

"Right."

"I think we should go for it," Erin commented. "First of all, it's our _only_ idea, second, we're don't really have time to sit around trying to come up with anything more specific, and third, if nothing else, it's at least bound to get someone's attention."

Jesse nodded in agreement. "I guess the Mokatsu probably won't like us blowing holes in its house," she began.

"But too bad," Erin finished, sticking her water bottle into her backpack, and standing up. "Are we ready, Ryoga?"

The young man smiled and stood as well, helping his girlfriend to her feet.

"Let's do it."

As the girls gathered their things together, Ryoga picked up the fallen Chinese boy. Then, Jesse selected a wall through a careful and thoughtful process (she spun around and pointed to one), and Ryoga walked up to it. He studied it for a brief moment.

Then, "Bakusai Tenketsu!" he cried, jabbing his right index finger against the smooth, gray stone wall.

A large section of it exploded out, showering them with pebbles and dust. After a brief coughing bout, they surveyed the spacious hole in the ex-barrier.

Erin raised her eyebrows. "Yep, that'll do."

They stepped through into the next hall, Ryoga in the lead, and proceeded onward.

"I miss Mousse," Erin murmured to her cousin, at least two and a half hours after Ryoga had begun blasting holes through the walls. "I miss the way he talks. And also, having him call me beautiful, and beloved, and stuff like that."

Jesse nodded sympathetically. Then, without thinking, she replied, "I could have Ryoga call you that for a while."

Erin turned her head, and cocked an eyebrow at her cousin, who had just realized what she had said. "Um, I think I'll pass. I appreciate the gesture, though…"

Jesse just shook her head. "I need some sleep," she muttered.

The three continued in silence for a few more minutes, before arriving at the next wall. They had adopted a simple pattern of walking in a straight line away from the Battle Room, with Ryoga simply "removing" any solid structures in the way. So far, they had discovered no rooms of any kind, and nothing (or, no one) had tried to stop them from rearranging the architecture.

As Ryoga prepared to do away with the next obstacle, Jesse asked, "Don't you think it's a little strange that the Mokatsu hasn't showed itself, or given any kind of reaction whatsoever in response to our, uh, remodeling?"

Erin shrugged noncommittally. "Maybe it knows something we don't. Or, maybe it likes Ryoga decorating its floors with dust and rubble."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Maybe it doesn't care…"

The two cousins turned back to the wall, which Ryoga had been examining.

"Does this wall look different to either of you?" he queried.

They peered closely at the aforementioned construct.

"Hmm," Jesse mused. "It doesn't look quite as…firm."

Erin raised her eyebrows, and then proceeded to thwack the back of her hand off the stones. "It's perfectly firm," she replied, flexing her fingers.

"Oh, yeah," her cousin snorted, "that was scientific."

"What?" the older girl replied, "I was _gathering data_." Then, "I know what you mean, though. It looks slightly less substantial than the surrounding walls… Like it might be able to move or something."

Strange as it sounded, the other two agreed. They stared at it for a few more moments, before the fanged boy asked slightly impatiently, "Well, are we going through?"

The girls nodded. Turning, Ryoga shouted and, with one finger, stabbed the wall, which crumbled obligingly at his touch. The three teenagers stared, hard, at what Ryoga's Breaking Point had uncovered. They had found a room, and it wasn't empty.

Upon first glance, the room itself was lovely, and rather peaceful looking. Tiles of various colors and shades covered the floors, walls, and ceiling, and the patterns they formed almost seemed to swirl and shift. The only two things marring its serenity were the large hole Ryoga had blasted in one wall, and the body on the floor.

The two girls beat Ryoga to it, and Erin was already leaning down, checking for a pulse, when he came over. He stared at the body in shock.

"Is…is that…"

"Ranma," the older girl finished for him. "There's no pulse… He's dead, too."

The diagnosis hung in the air for a moment, before anyone said anything.

"Well," Jesse observed, rather unnecessarily, "now we know what happened after he jumped through that gate the Mokatsu offered."

Ryoga scowled. "What _did_ happen? Did it kill him, too."

"I don't think so. At least, not directly," Erin answered. She looked down at the body for a moment, then back at Ryoga as she continued. "There aren't any noticeable marks on him, aside from the ones you already described. From the lack of injuries, my best guess would be that he might have died of asphyxiation."

"It strangled him?"

"No, that would leave fairly noticeable marks, especially from something that large. I just don't think he got any air."

"You think there was a vacuum in this room?" Jesse asked skeptically.

Erin thought for a second before answering. "Probably not a vacuum. That would cause other problems. I just think it dropped him in here, um, without oxygen. Gasses, maybe, just not the right kinds to breathe."

"But what about the chi draining," Ryoga protested.

Jesse answered. "If what she said is right, or at least, close to right, I would think it could just wait till he passed out, then drain his chi, then let him die on his own."

Ryoga grimaced, understanding. "No resistance."

The cousins nodded together. "Exactly."

They stood in silence for a few moments, Ryoga feeling Mousse's weight more acutely than before. Jesse bent down.

"Hey, look at this," she said, picking something off the floor and standing up with it. She held it out. "Look familiar?"

Ryoga and Erin leaned in to look. It was part of the wall they had come through. One side was the same smooth stone used throughout the castle, but on the other side…

"A doorknob," Erin said, surprised, "and a piece of door."

She took it from her cousin, and examined the small carvings on its ebony surface. Ryoga and Jesse looked back towards Ranma's body, lying on the floor, its hands stretched toward the direction they had entered from.

"I bet he spent his last few minutes trying to get to this door," Jesse decided, pointing to the section she had handed to her cousin.

"Not that it would have done him much good," Erin commented softly. "It was completely solid on the other side."

Although she had no great affection for Ranma Saotome, she was still upset that he had given up his life for a futile pursuit. Next to her, Ryoga snarled. His battle aura was starting to flicker periodically.

"First it killed Mousse, now Ranma," he spat, "for _sport_! It disgusts me."

Erin nodded. "I know." She paused. "Although, judging from what you told us about the progression of the first battle, I think it was probably the other way around."

"Huh?"

"Ranma, then Mousse."

"Oh…"

"Should we go?" Jesse asked suddenly. "Only about four hours till midnight."

"Oh, my goodness!" Erin blurted.

"What?" the other two chorused apprehensively.

"I just realized something."

"_Yeees_!" Jesse prompted.

"Well," Erin explained quickly, "I think it's pretty safe to say that Ranma died before Mousse, right?" Jesse and her boyfriend nodded. "Then, judging from Ryoga's description of their battle with the Mokatsu, Ranma probably died between thirty minutes and an hour _before_ Mousse did, meaning—"

Ryoga interrupted. "Meaning, that we have less time to kill that…creature…than we thought."

Erin nodded in agreement. Jesse looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe we should wait a while," she muttered.

"Jesse," her cousin chided half-heartedly.

"Hmph, sorry," the other girl mumbled not at all convincingly. She still had a few "complaints" against Ranma.

Ryoga gave her a curious glance. "Were you serious?"

She fixed him with a rather withering look; he dropped the subject.

A few minutes later, the three teenagers had decided that, for the same reasons that Ryoga was carrying Mousse, they needed to bring Ranma's body with them.

"This is going to severely impair our average traveling speed," Erin observed, as she grabbed Ranma's ankles, while her cousin held his wrists.

"Not to mention my average comfort," Jesse grumbled. "I didn't ask for this, I want you to remember."

"Yes, dear."

Ryoga shifted Mousse on his shoulder, as he watched the two girls hoist Ranma about two feet off the ground.

Erin grunted, and Jesse said, "This is as high as it gets. He's heavier than I would have thought, what with all the hot air in his head."

Her cousin smiled, then said to Ryoga, "We're as ready as we're ever gonna be."

The fanged boy nodded once and then turned to the wall opposite the one they had entered through. "Bakusai Tenketsu!" he shouted, touching his finger to the stones. They lost all cohesion, and shattered, creating a functional doorway.

Ryoga stepped through, walked three feet, and stopped dead in his tracks. Glancing back over his shoulder, he could see Erin backing slowly out of the hole in the wall, followed by Jesse, with Ranma suspended between them. He looked back at the room they had just entered, then back at the cousins.

In an utterly befuddled voice, he told them, "Uh, we have a slight problem…"

"What?" Erin asked, as she cleared the wall, and turned her head. She stopped as well, her mouth partially open, as she lowered Ranma's feet to the floor.

Impatient with the sudden pause, Jesse asked, "Why is everybody stopping? Is there some kind of roadblock?"

The blond girl squeezed her way past the remainder of the wall in her way, bending Ranma's midsection into an odd angle in the process. Once out, she plopped his upper body on the ground, none _too_ gently. Looking up, she realized what had stopped her friends.

"Oh, yeah," she said, "This is just great."

They were back in the Battle Room.

The three teenagers stood side by side for a few moments before anyone said anything.

"Hey, Ryoga," Jesse began, "Is it just me, or haven't we been traveling away from this room for the past several hours?"

The fanged martial artist nodded in complete bafflement. "I thought so."

Erin snorted softly, then added, "This is in utter, complete, and total conflict with all known and accepted laws of physics."

Ryoga turned to look at her. "Weren't you the one who said, 'It's a legend, for crying out loud'?"

Rolling her eyes, she mumbled, "This goes beyond ridiculous…"

"Although" Jesse interjected, "this could be called progress, of a sort. After all, we were trying to get the Mokatsu's attention. Maybe we did, and this is its first response."

Her cousin nodded, thinking. "It may intend to fight Ryoga again, but it might only choose to have its battles in this particular room… Uh, hence the name of it."

Ryoga enlisted Erin's help in setting Mousse down on the floor next to the wall.

As he stood back up, he asked, "Then, what's taking it so long to get here?"

Jesse responded first. "Who knows? These creatures seem to operate on their own timetable. It could show up anytime, unless…"

Her cousin finished for her. "Unless it's already here."

A low laugh echoed through the dimly lit room as the master Mokatsu shimmered into visibility mere yards in front of them. The two girls looked up in amazement, as Ryoga glared venomously at the creature.

Well, the master Mokatsu projected, to all of them, but directing its comment at Ryoga, you've come back to die as well. I have been observing you, and I see you have acquired reinforcements. No matter. I shall eradicate you all.

"It's been spying on us!" Jesse hissed to her cousin, who simply nodded.

Ryoga moved to stand a few protective feet in front of Jesse and Erin, and braced himself for the coming battle.

The Mokatsu "smiled" wickedly. Prepare to be obliterated, it projected coldly.

Ryoga's battle aura flickered as he faced the Master. He was desperately trying to ignore the fact that it had defeated Ranma and Mousse together, and he was alone. Above all, however, he wanted to keep the two girls from becoming involved, afraid that the creature would turn on them. The young man was unaware that the Mokatsu had also accepted them as challengers.

"I'm going to make you pay for what you did to Mousse and Ranma!" Ryoga yelled up at the smirking monster. "I'll destroy you!"

The Mokatsu made a slightly incredulous noise. I will not be making it as easy as last time, human.

Suddenly, the Mokatsu shimmered, and disappeared.

"What the…!" Ryoga cried out, spinning around to see where it had gone. "How dare you run away!" He yelled in challenge.

"I have not run," a voice behind him said.

Ryoga paused as Jesse's and Erin's eyes widened. The words he had just heard had been spoken, not projected, and the voice by no means belonged to the Mokatsu. It had been stolen from someone else. The young man turned slowly, to see the new face of the enemy.

"Mousse…" he whispered.

"What's the matter?" "Mousse" asked. "I thought you said you were going to destroy me. Or, can't you?"

Ryoga was unsure what to do. In the back of his mind, he knew he was seeing the creature's shape-changing ability. He still remembered Erin saying, "It can only assume the shapes of people that it's absorbed." But at the moment, all he saw was Mousse standing in front of him, his hands tucked into the sleeves of his robe as usual.

The Mokatsu spoke up, still using Mousse's form and voice. "It was your fault I died," it snarled at him. "Now it's your turn."

It took a step towards him, murder gleaming in its eyes. He backed up and almost ran into Erin, who was coming to a slow boil.

"How dare it…" she hissed through clenched teeth.

Ryoga looked back at her, confused. She pulled something shiny out of her backpack. Putting her hand on his shoulder, she whispered emphatically, "That thing _is not_ Mousse. Remember that. Mousse didn't blame you for what happened."

The Lost Boy nodded half-heartedly. "I'm sorry…"

The brunette nodded once, then whispered, "Remember what that book said. We have until eleven, approximately, to save them." She held out her hand. "You'll need this."

Ryoga looked down at what she was holding out to him. It was the other dagger. He gave her and Jesse a small smile, and took the knife. Erin pointed to Mousse's body, still lying on the floor beside her, then at the creature using his appearance.

"_That_ killed Mousse and Ranma, not you." She winked. "Now, «sic 'im»!"

Ryoga turned back to the Mousse-creature, who was staring at him with undisguised derision.

"Insignificant mammals… Are the two of you finished yet?" It asked, sounding rather disgusted.

"_Definitely not Mousse_," Ryoga thought to himself. "_He would never comment about Erin that way_."

"I'm ready to defeat you!" He yelled, launching himself at the Mokatsu.

The fanged boy intensely hoped that the creature could only steal forms, and not abilities, as well. The last thing he needed was to try to fight an evil, teleporting, shape-changing monster that could also throw knives, spears, and bombs.

The Mokatsu jumped back, avoiding Ryoga's lunge. The look of murderous rage it affected did not look natural on Mousse, but then, neither did the long, sickle-shaped claws that suddenly grew on the ends of his fingers. Ryoga turned just in time to duck a vicious downward swipe, and, once more, the battle was on.

Erin and Jesse stood by the bodies of Mousse and Ranma, as Ryoga and the creature fought. They rather got the idea that it was a little beyond their abilities to help, and they did not want to distract Ryoga or get in his way, so they watched. Still ready, however, to render any kind of aid if needed.

The battle so far had been similar to the first in that Ryoga was doing most of the running and ducking and dodging, while the Mokatsu attacked leisurely, but violently. It was still quite disconcerting to them, Erin especially, that it had chosen to use Mousse's form to defeat Ryoga. It was effective, though, in that the creature would taunt him frequently about his previous inability to save Mousse, using the dead Chinese boy's voice.

Fortunately for Ryoga, it did seem as though the Master was unable to use any of Mousse's weapons or techniques. Only a small consolation, however, as the Mokatsu lunged at Ryoga, its out-of-place claws extended. The martial artist did his best to dodge the blow, but only succeeded in lessening it. He rolled mostly out of the way of the attack, but the Mousse-creature did manage to cut three large gashes into his left shoulder.

Ryoga's injured leg was throbbing, and now, his left arm felt like someone had dripped molten lead on it. He still had the dagger, tucked tightly in his belt, but had been unable to get close enough to actually do anything with it. So far, the only mark the creature had received was a slash in the sleeve of its robe, courtesy of one of Ryoga's Iron Cloth bandannas.

"_I can't keep fighting like this for much longer_," Ryoga thought to himself. "_I haven't eaten or slept in hours_."

When they were close to twenty feet apart, the Mokatsu paused a moment to look at him. "You're weak," it declared. "It's no wonder you couldn't help me. You can't even help yourself. Too bad." It glanced over at the two cousins, who were glaring at it. "Of course," it continued, "after I finish you, I still have them to play with."

Ryoga growled angrily at the Mousse-thing.

"Maybe," it taunted, smiling cruelly, "I'll even use your form for that one."

"Over my dead body!" Ryoga screamed at it, trying to decide which attack might buy him some more time.

The Mokatsu chuckled. "Exactly. Of course, that might be what that one over there was thinking, while he couldn't breathe, or this one too, right before I impaled him."

Ryoga's eyes widened with guilt, and he let loose an inarticulate cry of fury. A bright emerald aura suddenly blossomed around him, enveloping him in roiling energy.

"HOW DARE YOU!" He screamed. "You won't get away with this!"

The Lost Boy stopped cradling his injured shoulder, and put his arms out in front of himself, palms facing the creature. He was trembling slightly; his eyes narrowed.

He began. "SHI…"

Erin saw the Mousse-creature retract its claws, and begin to lift one of its hands towards Ryoga. Then, she heard it intone, "Mokatsu Special Attack…Baikyû Utsuri!" Ryoga was not paying any attention.

"…SHI…"

Her cousin had heard it as well. In the heat of the moment, it took a few seconds for their minds to translate its cry. Then, it clicked. "Baikyû Utsuri"—"Increased Reflection." They stared at each other for one long moment, eyes wide.

"…HÔKÔDAN!" Ryoga cried.

The two girls screamed in unison. "STOP!"

"Don't, Ryoga!" Erin cried out.

Her cousin yelled, "Get down!"

It was too late. A cylindrical blast of deep green chi energy streaked from Ryoga's hands towards the Master. It just stood there, one arm now fully extended, its palm towards Ryoga and its fingers spread. The emerald spiral sped across the distance between them. The creature smiled, a shimmering globe of energy forming in its hand. Ryoga's chi release reached it and a thunderous cracking sound shot through the Battle Room, forcing the two girls to clap their hands to their ears. The green of Ryoga's Depression Blast seemed to swirl in front of the Mokatsu, collecting in the orb it held, suspended in the air. Then, it shot out. Like a giant tornado, the blast reversed, becoming almost blinding in intensity, as it streaked towards the young man, already on the point of collapse from the exertion.

"Ryoga…" Jesse whispered.

It connected with its target, catching Ryoga directly in the chest and sending him hurtling backwards, into the stone wall behind him. He screamed once, quickly, and then was silent. He hung suspended against the wall for a moment. Then, the chi funnel sped back towards the Mokatsu's hand, absorbing into the ball of energy it held. When there was none left, the Master in Mousse's guise closed its fist on the bright globe, and it disappeared.

Ryoga dropped to the floor with a dull thud, and laid there, motionless, empty…dead.

It took at least fifteen seconds for the two cousins to register what had just happened. Then, it hit. Temporarily ignoring the creature, they raced over to where Ryoga had fallen. Jesse kneeled down beside him and cradled his head on her lap, as Erin stood beside her.

The blond girl gently touched her boyfriend's cheek, then, eyes flashing, looked up at the Mousse-creature. It was smiling crookedly.

"You're a _liar_," she snarled at it.

The creature stood a few yards away, with its feet apart and its arms crossed. It raised a slightly bemused eyebrow. "Really?" it asked, sounding unimpressed.

The older girl nodded, picking up on what Jesse was getting at. "You told Ranma that you were going to grant his wish…a cure for his curse."

Uncrossing its arms, the creature walked a few steps closer, then said, "But I did. He doesn't have a curse anymore, does he?" Neither girl said anything, as the creature continued. "After all," it told them callously, "death cures everything."

Erin stared at the creature in disgust. It was still using Mousse's appearance. Jesse looked up at her. Their eyes met, and they both looked down at Ryoga's body, where the dagger was still tucked tightly into his belt. Erin moved slightly to her left, so as to obscure her cousin's movements from the Mokatsu.

The creature watched them impassively for another moment, before it spoke again. "And then, there were two…" It smiled. "Let's see what you can do for me."

The blond girl gritted her teeth, and turned her head to stare at the Master. "We'll kill you."

It threw back its head, and laughed at her. "I've heard that several times today. There is nothing either one of you can do to me. Not only are you part of an inferior species, but you are also part of the weaker gender."

Erin crossed her arms, and tried not to look at her cousin. Jesse's right hand moved slowly across Ryoga's stomach.

The space around the master Mokatsu flickered, and seemed to glow. The face and form of the Chinese boy blurred, then shifted, and re-formed into another's. Ryoga stood in front of them, smiling maliciously, even as he lay silently on the ground.

Walking toward the two cousins, the Ryoga-creature continued where the Mousse-creature had left off.

"And finally," it concluded, its eyes narrowing, "you seem to be limited in your effectiveness by irrational emotional constraints."

The blond girl's fingers closed around the dagger's handle.

"And you," Erin said softly, "suffer from a superiority complex, and inferior research skills."

"Hell hath no fury," Jesse murmured, "like the fury of a woman scorned…"

The Master extended its claws. Suddenly, Erin crouched down, and in one smooth motion, scooped one of Mousse's stilettos from the ground and threw it straight at the creature's heart. The creature, mere yards away, managed to dodge the blade, but was not anticipating the full effect of her action.

The moment Erin had thrown the first knife, her cousin had sprung to her feet, yanking the dagger from Ryoga's belt as she went. Then, as the Mokatsu moved to avoid her cousin's attack, she launched herself at it, the knife held tightly in both hands, extended directly in front of her. She did not care whether it looked like Ryoga, or Mousse, or anyone else; she knew exactly who and what it was, and what she intended to do about it.

After dodging the first attack, it was unbalanced enough for Jesse's to succeed. With a loud cry of defiance, she collided with the Ryoga-creature, her knife catching it directly in the chest, and plowing into its body. Its claws retracted, as the force of the blow knocked it onto its back, with the infuriated teenager landing directly on top of it, driving the dagger in further. It cried out in rage and, she hoped, pain.

After a few seconds, she rolled off, and pushed herself to her feet, her chest heaving, and a look of supreme satisfaction on her face. She began to walk towards her cousin.

"Jesse!" Erin yelled suddenly.

The younger girl spun around, and yelped. The Ryoga-creature was moving. They watched in perverse fascination as it rose to its feet, and fixed them with an insanely vengeful glare. Letting loose an incomprehensible scream of fury, it tore the knife from its chest, leaving a tattered, bloody hole.

"Um, Erin…" Jesse began.

"Yeah?" her cousin said numbly.

"That man at the entrance told us that knife would kill the Mokatsu."

Erin nodded. "Yeah."

Looking back at the incensed human-looking monster in front of them, she muttered, "It would appear that there were a few things he neglected to tell us…"

Jesse stared back at her cousin for a moment. The older girl appeared to be deep in thought. Jesse nudged her.

"What now?" she hissed.

Erin looked up in time to see the Mokatsu flip the knife around in its hand, and pull its arm back. Her eyebrows shot up, and she yelled, "MOVE!"

Her cousin obliged by flinging herself, not quite gracefully, off to the left; Erin dove to the right, just as the Master threw the knife at the exact spot they had occupied only seconds before. As it was, the blade shot between the two of them with such force that it impacted on the stone wall behind them, and buried itself up to the hilt in the rock. It would have been as impossible for them to remove it as it was for anyone other than Arthur to remove the Sword from the Stone.

"We're screwed," Jesse mumbled, as she hauled herself off the flagstones.

The older of the two girls landed on her stomach with a grunt, as the Master extended its claws, and began walking towards her. She looked down, and something caught her eye. She turned her head, searching for her cousin.

"Jesse!" she shouted, "Get the spear!"

"Huh?"

Erin pointed a bit to Jesse's right, where one of Mousse's spears lay forgotten on the floor. "Get the spear, get the spear, get the SPEAR!"

Running over, the younger girl grabbed the metal spear, briefly wondering how the Chinese teenager managed to fit it into his robe sleeves.

The Ryoga-creature paused for a moment, unsure what was being planned, and not intending to be caught off-guard again. It swung around, fixing its eyes on Jesse, who was standing to face it, spear ready.

"Ready to die so soon?" it growled in a voice not quite Ryoga's.

With a quick glance at her cousin, who was doing an undisclosed something on the floor, she told it, rather un-originally, "After you."

It roared, and she screamed back, fairly matching it in intensity. It lunged, and she hurled the spear, and proceeded to move rapidly in the opposite direction. Its outstretched claws barely missed her. She landed, rolled, and came up running. The Mokatsu regained its balance, and started after her.

The second Jesse had thrown her spear, Erin had reached across the flagstones to grasp the jeweled handle of another dagger. This one, however, did not belong to Mousse; it was the knife that the gatekeeper had given to the three boys when they had first been accepted as challengers.

As soon as her fingers closed around it, she jumped to her feet, and turned. Jesse was in the process of running for some kind of cover, and telling the Mokatsu, quite colorfully, exactly what she thought of it. She reversed directions suddenly, pausing to throw a large, sharp chunk of statue at the creature's head as it overshot her.

Erin reversed the knife in her hand, trying to calm herself enough to remember as much of what Mousse had taught her about throwing knives, as possible. She pulled her arm back. Jesse could see her, and she did not seem to be aiming at the creature chasing her.

"This is for Mousse…" Erin whispered.

She threw the dagger.

Jesse watched in complete bafflement as the knife flew over her head, streaking to a point near the end of the rows of statues, seemingly occupied by nothing. Behind her, she heard the Ryoga-creature skid to a dead stop.

It reached out its arms and howled, "NOOOOO!"

Suddenly, at a place approximately ten feet from the sculptures, the knife stopped it mid-air, with a resounding crunch. The room echoed with a cry of enraged agony from nowhere. All at once, the Ryoga-creature shuddered, flickered, then it disappeared. To Jesse's left, the air shimmered, and the true form of the master Mokatsu flickered into visibility, the dagger firmly embedded in the middle of its chest.

Erin brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, and said, in no uncertain terms, "Die, you oversized renegade from a poor science fiction novel."

Her cousin blinked twice at her, then turned back to watch the Mokatsu, its ebony blood forming a strange breastplate, as it writhed in fury.

IT! CAN'T! BEEEEE! its mind cried out.

As the two girls watched, the gigantic creature seemed to shrink in on itself, then, in an instant, it expanded, shooting out in all directions at once. Finally, with one last scream of rage, the master Mokatsu exploded in a brilliant blast of red, green, and blue chi energy. An earsplitting roar accompanied it. Both girls turned away from the burst, shielding their faces with their hands, fully expecting to be splattered with various Mokatsu remnants. None came.

After a few seconds, the sound died out, the light faded, and the two girls were left standing alone in the Battle Room.

Jesse watched as the jeweled dagger fell to the floor with a hollow clatter. She shook her head, as if to clear it.

She turned to her cousin. "Wha—?"

Erin looked at her, a drained but extremely pleased expression on her face, and was about to say something, when a low groan sounded from behind them. They both spun around to look. On the floor, a few feet away from the wall, Ryoga lay, still motionless.

"I _know_ I heard something," the blond girl insisted.

Her cousin was about to reassure her that she was not hearing things that were not there, when Ryoga stirred. The two girls stared warily for a moment as he winced, and tried to push himself into a sitting position.

"Ooh, my head…" he moaned, giving up and slumping back on the ground.

"Ryoga!" Jesse questioned, slightly in shock.

He put his hand to his forehead. To him, it felt as though his brain was about to pound its way out of his skull, and he was having trouble remembering what exactly had happened to him. He closed his eyes for a second, then focused on his girlfriend.

"Jesse, what just happe—" He didn't get a chance to finish, though, as Jesse and Erin both raced at him, throwing their arms around him, and yanking him into a sitting position a little more violently than they had probably intended.

"Ryoga!" Jesse almost squealed, her arms wrapped firmly around his neck, "You're alive!" She hugged him harder, and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Erin, for her part, was slightly behind his back. He could feel her squeezing his chest from behind, in a platonically affectionate manner that left it a bit hard to breathe.

"It _worked_!" the older girl crowed, her voice rather muffled by Ryoga's right shoulder. "Just like the book said!"

Bit by bit, Ryoga's memory reactivated itself, not exactly aided by the hug-induced lack of oxygen to his brain. The more he managed to piece together of his final battle with the master Mokatsu, however, the more confused he became. On the other hand, he did have two attractive girls attached to him, both absolutely ecstatic to see him alive and well…even if only one of them was romantically inclined toward him.

After the cousins had calmed down enough to back off a bit, Ryoga took a deep breath, brushed his hair out of his face, and looked around, surveying the carnage. The only discernable signs of the last fight that he could see were hundreds of small scorch marks on the ceiling and the tops of the walls. Aside from that, all the weapons on the floor had been there since that morning. He was not paying enough attention to notice which pieces had been moved.

This time, it was his turn to ask the questions. "What happened?"

Jesse grinned wolfishly, her arms now wrapped around one of his. "We killed it," she stated, sounding quite pleased with the current turn of events.

The fanged boy did a double take. "Y-you…you what!" he stuttered in disbelief.

The other girl nodded solemnly. "She's right. It exploded."

The young man sat there, taking in the full ramifications of her statement, as Jesse stared at him lovingly and Erin began to poke around at his chest and shoulder.

He was about to ask her what she was doing, when she suddenly announced, "Look! His wounds are gone."

The other two teenagers, after a brief examination, agreed with her.

"Aside from a pounding headache," Ryoga assured them, "I actually feel fine. My leg doesn't even really hurt anymore."

"Fascinating…" the older girl murmured.

She watched Ryoga and her cousin for a brief moment. Then, she leaned forward, gave Ryoga one more hug and a sisterly peck on the cheek, and whispered to him, "I'm so glad you're alright."

He wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, and squeezed her gently. "Thank you. I just hope it works for…" His words trailed off at the end.

Erin sat back on her legs, and nodded. "I know." She smiled at Jesse and her boyfriend, then said softly, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I have someone waiting for me."

She stood, turned, and walked over to the body of the young man she had originally come to the mountain for. Jesse and Ryoga watched her go. Then, the fanged martial artist put both arms around the only girl who had ever returned his love, and held her tightly. Some small corner of his mind, though, waited guiltily for any word on the Chinese boy who had fought beside him, and died before him.

Erin knelt next to Mousse's still figure, watching anxiously for the first signs of returning: a heartbeat, a breath, movement, anything. Still, he remained motionless beside her. Several feet away, the other two teenagers watched her. Jesse looked up at Ryoga, who was staring intently at the other couple.

Nudging him gently in the ribs, the blond girl asked softly, "Do you think something's wrong?"

Ryoga shook his head in indecision. "I don't know," he responded, keeping to himself the thoughts that there were already many things wrong with their current situation.

After a few more seconds of stillness, he came to the same conclusion that, unbeknownst to him, Erin was also entertaining. He voiced his ideas to Jesse. "Maybe," he offered, "since he's been this way for much longer than I was, it's just going to take a little while more for his chi to fully return…"

His girlfriend stared at him, one eyebrow slightly raised.

He shrugged. "Or, something like that…"

Erin, meanwhile, was getting a bit nervous, even though she shared Ryoga's theory. Uncurling her legs from under herself, she reached down and picked up one of Mousse's hands, holding it in both of hers. It was cool to the touch.

"Come on, Mousse," she prompted in a barely audible whisper. "Come back now, please. I miss you…"

Still holding his hand in one of hers, she stroked his face with the other, brushing his bangs aside. She noticed that his glasses were missing, lost sometime during all the fighting or carrying he had been subjected to.

«Good grief,» she muttered to him in English. Then, switching back to Japanese, she asked, "Will you ever learn to keep those things on your face?"

She placed her hand on his still chest, and sighed. "Please…"

Bowing her head, she studied his hand as it lay on her lap. Suddenly, she felt something. Her head snapped up, and her eyes got wide, as she looked at her other hand. Under it, she thought she had felt a weak heartbeat.

"Mousse…" she whispered. Jesse and Ryoga both watched, as she closely observed her boyfriend for any signs of life.

Just when she began to wonder if she had imagined it, she saw him move. Not very much, but she definitely saw her hand move, as his chest rose and fell with a breath. She slid her hand up to his throat; he had a soft, but stable pulse. A broad grin broke out on her face as a tear slid down her cheek. Leaning down, she wrapped both arms around his neck, and held him tightly, never wanting to let go.

He moaned softly, and turned his head until his face was against her hair. He took a deep breath, and his eyes fluttered open. "Erin…" he murmured.

Suddenly, his girlfriend released a heartfelt sob that she had been restraining since his arms had fallen from around her neck the first time she had been in the Battle Room. The sharp noise next to his ear jolted him fully awake. He slid his arms around her, and held her close. "I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I love you."

She pulled back from him, just enough to be able to look into his face. «Goodness gracious,» she choked out, "Don't you _ever_ do this to me again!"

He smiled slightly. Bringing one hand up to her face, he brushed away a few strands of hair that the crying had stuck to her cheek. She, in turn, took his face in her hands, and kissed him. He did not mind at all. After she released his face, she helped him into a sitting position, both of her arms again around his neck. Erin hugged him once more, burying her face in his shoulder. Mousse rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"I like the way your hair smells," he told her.

She snorted, and lifted her head to look incredulously at him. "Mousse, love," she said, "after today, I can't imagine I smell much better than you do. And you reek."

He blinked at her. "Sorry."

She smiled warmly at him, and he smiled back, completely in love.

After Mousse received a few more hugs, and a kiss or two (approximately), Ryoga walked over, still limping very slightly, with Jesse trailing behind him. He knelt beside the recovering Chinese martial artist and held out his hand.

"Forgive me," Ryoga asked.

Mousse stared at him for a moment, then nodded. Leaving one arm still wrapped around Erin, who was gazing at him with an undisguised adoration that almost made him blush, he took the offered hand.

"Ryoga, it wasn't anything you had control over," he assured the other young man. "What happened wasn't, in any way, your fault." Glancing at Erin, a sheepish expression passed over his features. "I mean," he continued, "you didn't twist my arm and force me to come. If you need me to say that I forgive you, I do, but there's really nothing to forgive."

The bandanna-clad boy nodded, a feeling of relief washing over him. Trying to change the subject, he pointed at Mousse's chest. "Your wound is gone, isn't it?"

The Chinese boy looked down, and poked his finger through the hole in his robe. "You're right, now that you mention it. I guess I was just so happy to be alive, that I failed to stop and notice all the details."

Mousse put his fingers to his head, and then checked his leg. "Actually," he said in amazement, "all my injuries seem to have vanished."

He was about to make another comment, when a low groan sounded behind Ryoga. The Lost Boy jumped slightly, bumping into Jesse, who was standing behind him. She grabbed onto his shoulders to keep herself from falling over. Mousse looked rather startled.

Erin, for her part, put her forehead down on Mousse's shoulder, and laughed once. "I think we forgot about something," she muttered.

The two young men stared at each other for a second, before getting identical looks of annoyance on their faces. "Ranma," they said in unison.

Mousse wrinkled his nose. "Ugh."

Ryoga shook his head. "There _are_ a few things I'd like to discuss with him."

Directly behind him, Jesse grumbled. "Too bad you're going to have the chance to…"

Ranma woke. His head was spinning, and he was feeling very groggy. He mumbled something to himself about shriveled old women on sticks, then opening his eyes, he found himself staring into four other pairs.

Ryoga, Mousse, Jesse, and Erin stood, slightly menacingly, over the pig-tailed martial artist as he sat up. He stared at the four teenagers clustered around him. Mousse looked angry, Erin looked more than angry, Jesse looked semi-furious, and Ryoga was starting to glow green.

Ranma laughed nervously. "Eh-hehe…Yo…Uh, fancy seein' you here…"

A slightly confused expression came over his face then, as he registered the presence of the two American girls, along with his two rivals. "Um, come to think of it," he said to the incensed cousins, "what _are_ ya doin' here?"

The comment was followed immediately in his mind by the thought of, "_What am _I_ doing here? I was pretty sure I died in that other room._" Of course, not wishing to appear uninformed, he kept that part to himself.

Jesse scowled at him. "We're cleaning up your mess," she snarled.

He looked a bit confused at her statement. "Huh?"

"What she means," Erin interjected, "is that after you jumped through that doorway the Mokatsu offered, it turned on Mousse, and Ryoga, later."

He began to protest. "But it said that—"

The brunette girl cut him off rather abruptly. "«Good grief,» Ranma Saotome," she said, putting her hands on her hips. "What did you think it was going to do after you left them there, huh? Say 'Thank you for participating. Now run along and have a nice day. Bye-bye,'?"

"I didn't really—" He didn't get a chance to finish, though, as this time, Jesse interrupted.

"That's right," she said angrily, "you didn't really." Ranma gave her a strange look as she continued. "What you 'didn't really' stop to think about were the consequences of your actions. You brought Ryoga and Mousse with you as allies, partners. But then, when it looked like you were going to get what _you_ wanted, you just left. You make me sick!" She paused to take a breath. "Do you know what happened after you took off through the happy little gate?"

Ranma opened his mouth to say something, but Ryoga beat him to it. "I can tell you what happened," he said stiffly. "Mousse was left to face the master Mokatsu—that the two of you couldn't beat together—alone, while I fought the Heir."

Ranma stood up, wobbling slightly, as the other boy continued.

"When, Ranma," he asked, "was the last time you watched a friend get impaled by a giant monster, and have the life sucked out of him?"

The pig-tailed teenager backed towards the wall as Ryoga advanced on him, battle aura strengthening.

"Well…!" he asked again.

"Umm…"

Ryoga gave a curt nod, and growled, "That's what I thought."

Mousse stepped forward, arms tucked into his robe sleeves. "You left me to fight it by myself, Ranma, after I screamed that it was a liar."

"And you call yourself a man!" Jesse piped up from behind her boyfriend.

Erin raised an eyebrow at the comment, and Jesse shrugged. "What? Considering who we're talking to, it just seemed like it fit."

"Riiight," the other girl muttered.

Seeing a break in the list of accusations, Ranma spoke up. "So, if he's dead," he said, pointing to Mousse, who did not look very deceased, "how and why is he standin' there, givin' me a dirty look?"

Coming to the defense of her boyfriend, Erin interjected, "It wasn't a dirty look. Just…mildly soiled."

That got her strange looks from all four of the other teenagers. She shrugged, and Ranma voiced his objection again.

Ryoga, Jesse, and Erin knew, of course. Mousse, however, had never gotten the chance to finish reading the page he had taken from the book, and as for Ranma, he was totally clueless.

"Girls…" Ryoga prompted. He did not want to have to try to explain it.

The cousins sighed, but did proceed to give them the highly condensed version of the conditions for reversing the Mokatsu's chi-draining ability, and then, what they had been able to do with this information.

Ranma, in turn, voiced objections similar to the ones Ryoga had, when Erin had first told him, and received much the same response the first boy had gotten. This time, in surround-sound…one girl on either side of him.

The martial artist still had one problem with their story, though. "If Mousse died right after I left," he began, "and Ryoga died before he could kill the Master, how come we're all fine?" He got a smug expression on his face, feeling as though he had found the one flaw in their story.

Ryoga was the one to deliver the thunderbolt. "They killed it."

Ranma's jaw dropped open, but no sound came out, and Mousse's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline.

The Chinese boy regained his composure first. "_You_ killed it?" he asked, looking at the two cousins with surprise.

"Yup!" Jesse said.

"With the knife Ranma lost," Erin added.

"I am genuinely impressed," Mousse told them.

"So am I," Ryoga said.

"I'm confused…" Ranma whined.

Sidestepping Ryoga, the young man began walking towards the rows of statues, muttering under his breath about the dishonor and unfairness, and the ridiculousness, of it all, when suddenly, there was a crunching sound, as Ranma tripped over something and crashed to the floor. The others jumped in surprise, and walked over to see what had happened.

Ranma lay where he had fallen for at least a full minute. Then with his face still on the ground, he held up what he had tripped on. "Mousse," he mumbled into the flagstones, "I think these belong to you…" He was holding a pair of glasses.

"Oops," Mousse said, embarrassed. "So that's where they went. Eh-heh…" He reached out and took them from the prostrate martial artist. "Um, thanks."

Prying himself off the floor, Ranma grumbled, "No problem."

Mousse looked at his glasses. The frames were rather bent on one side, and one of the lenses had several cracks in it. "They seem a bit worse for the wear."

Erin looked over his shoulder at them. "That," she said, "is definitely the least of today's problems. We can get you a new pair in Nerima, don't you know."

He smiled at her, and tucked them into his robe.

Just as Erin was walking back toward the wall to get her and Jesse's backpacks, a low rumble like distant thunder echoed through the halls of the Mokatsu's fortress. She looked back at the others; their eyes were wide with apprehension.

Ryoga spoke softly. "I know that sound."

"What the—" Jesse began. Ryoga cut her off.

"It's time to leave," he said quickly.

The blond girl put her hands on her hips, and stared at him, unmoving. "Ryoga Hibiki, what was that noise?"

"That," Ranma filled in, "is a Mokatsu growl, which, according to your story, shouldn't be happenin'."

Erin grabbed the two packs from beside the wall, and jogged back to the other four teenagers. On her way, she bent in mid-stride, scooping something off the floor and putting it in her backpack, which she then slung over her shoulders. She stopped next to her cousin and handed Jesse her backpack.

"Well, we have two options," she informed them. "Since there are five of us, it technically won't accept us as challengers, but on the other hand, it's probably really ticked at us right now, so that might not stop it from coming down to play, anyway. So, we can either stick around here and wait for that thing to come for revenge, or, we can leave before it has the chance to make up its mind."

"Funny," Mousse said contemplatively, "I only heard one option."

The brunette girl nodded. "That's what I thought."

Jesse and Erin began to head for the black doors on the other end of the Battle Room. Mousse and Ryoga swerved to the outside of the room to find their previously discarded backpacks, along with Ranma's. The pig-tailed martial artist, however, did not appear to be going anywhere.

"Wait a second!" he called after the two girls. "I'm still cursed!"

Erin turned around, but continued moving towards the doors. "Ranma," she explained rapidly, "you don't understand. The Mokatsu can _not_ grant wishes, or cure you—not that it would if it could—that's just part of the legend that developed in the thousand years since they were last here. The real creatures just crave the sport, the killing. Plus, the more people they kill, the more chi they absorb, and the stronger they become. I'm truly sorry! Trust me, it's all about them."

She turned back toward the doors as Mousse and Ryoga caught up with them. "Are you coming or not?" she called over her shoulder. "'Cause I'm not carrying you out of here!" Then mumbling under her breath, she said, "I've already carried you farther than I ever wanted to…"

Ranma stood for a moment in indecision. There was a loud noise behind him, probably from somewhere down one of the passageways. It seemed to be getting closer. He decided on a course of action.

"Mousse!" he yelled as he started running after them. "You've got my backpack!"

The Chinese boy flung the pack to Ranma in mid-stride, as the group of five approached the end of the Battle Room.

Ranma was the last one to reach the large, ebony double doors guarding the entrance to and, at the moment, the exit from the Battle Room. The others were already clustered around the doors, apparently not doing anything. Ranma, always needing to be in on the action, yelled, "I'll get the doors!" and flung himself at them.

"Ranma!" Ryoga began.

"Don't do that!" Erin finished. "They're—"

SMACK!

"—locked…" She shook her head. "Oh, bother."

Ryoga looked at Ranma, who was lying on the ground twitching, and then at Erin. "Are you sure they don't just open in the other direction?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not funny."

Mousse glanced back at the other end of the Battle Room. "Umm, don't you think we ought to be vacating the premises?"

Prying himself off the floor, with Erin's help, Ranma muttered, "What?"

"He means," Jesse translated, "that we should be departing as of previously."

The Japanese boy just looked more confused.

"Ryoga-kun…" Erin prompted.

«Heh, I gotcha covered,» The fanged boy quipped in English.

Jesse moaned. "Oh, dear…"

Turning to the wall next to the doors, Ryoga struck it with one finger and shouted, "Bakusai Tenketsu!" That portion of the wall crumbled to pieces, and the five teenagers quickly went through.

«The remodeling costs for this place are gonna be horrendous,» Jesse muttered in English, as they all headed for the outer set of doors.

Erin gave her a grim smile, with a touch of mischief in it. «Trust me, dear, before we're through, they're gonna get a whole lot higher…»

This time, for some unknown reason, the doors failed to operate on their own, as they had when both sets of challengers had arrived. As things were, it took Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga to shove them open by force. The door they were pushing on creaked open a few inches and then stopped. The three boys pushed harder, and suddenly, the door swung open all the way, spilling them outside onto the ground. Jesse followed them out with a bit more grace.

Mousse, who was on the top of the pile, mumbled something in Chinese that more or less amounted to, «Fresh air!» while Ranma, on the bottom, grumbled, "Get offa me."

It took them a few more seconds to untangle their limbs and stand up. Mousse looked around; something was wrong. Realizing what it was, he rushed over to Jesse, grabbed her by the shoulders, and asked, "Where is Erin!"

The blond girl looked confused. "I don't know," she told him, extricating herself from his grasp. "She was right behind me on the way out of the Battle Room."

Ryoga walked over, and was about to ask what the problem was, but Mousse was already dashing back to the still partially open door.

"ERIN!" he yelled.

He got to the threshold, still running, when suddenly, something from inside came flying out. It was Erin, zipping her backpack as she ran. He yelped as she collided with him, sending him crashing backwards. He landed flat on his back, with the wind knocked out of him.

"Um, you called," Erin said, not quite angelically, from on top of his chest.

The young man coughed, and rolled over, spilling his girlfriend onto her bottom next to him.

"Sorry about that," she said.

"It's all right," he told her, as Ranma and Ryoga went to shut the door they had come through. "I was just worried when you didn't come out."

"I had a quick something to do first."

He was about to ask her what it was, when another crashing noise came from inside the castle, accompanied by a loud growl. Forgetting his question, Mousse turned to the others and asked, "Shouldn't we be getting away from this castle? I mean, what if the Mokatsu decides to come out after us?"

Jesse was in the process of telling him that if the Mokatsu decided to come out after them, just getting part of the way down the mountain probably would not do a great deal of good, when Ryoga started talking.

"It must be the Heir," he muttered to himself. "I had thought it would be gone after I chi-blasted it. I'm sorry."

Jesse nodded. "It's not your fault. The book did say that only those knives would kill them. It must have teleported right after it slammed into the wall, and…and Erin, what _are_ you doing?"

Her cousin was already about fifty yards away, jogging towards the corner of the castle, staring around, and periodically stopping to examine the ground around the fortress. She looked for all the world like she was sight-seeing. Looking back when her name was called, she yelled, "just a minute," then disappeared around the corner.

Mousse's eyes got wider as he turned to Jesse, then pointed off in the direction Erin had gone, without saying anything. The girl shrugged.

"She probably knows what she's doing," she told him, not very reassuringly. Then, looking at her watch, she commented, "We have about one hour and twenty minutes left, before, according to Cologne, the fortress will again disappear."

The four remaining teenagers were still trying to decide what to do, when Erin came running from around the other corner of the building. She stopped, slightly out of breath, between Mousse and her cousin.

"That was pretty fast," Jesse commented.

Erin looked at her. "Actually, it's not that big around." She shook her head. "All those corridors we went through have absolutely _no_ right being able fit in a structure that size!"

"So," Mousse began, "what _were_ you doing?"

She smiled. "Seeing how far away from the castle the grass and shrubbery started. And, seeing that there's no wind tonight, and it'll only have about twenty minutes, it's all far enough away."

"Far enough away for what?" Ranma asked, deciding to rejoin the proceedings.

Jesse was already catching on, however. "A bonfire."

Ranma gave her an incredulous look. "And what do ya plan to start it with? Flint, sticks?"

Mousse pulled a very large lighter from his robe sleeve. Ranma rolled his eyes.

"What do ya plan to use to keep it burnin'…hairspray? Most of this building is made outta rock, ya know."

Erin's smile broadened. "Ranma, Ranma, you think too small," she told him. "We have something better than hairspray." She reached into her backpack, and pulled out two plastic bottles. "We've got lighter fluid!"

"Oh, brother…" he grumbled.

Ten minutes later, after reopening the door slightly, the girls had soaked the front entrance way and the doors to the Battle Room with the two bottles of lighter fluid from Erin's pack, and had randomly sprayed most of the front hallway with another bottle from Jesse's pack. There had been much excited giggling and whispering during the process.

The guys watched from the doorway, careful to stay out of the line of fire (no pun intended). Mousse shook his head slowly.

"My girlfriend is a pyromaniac."

Ryoga nodded. "Mine, too."

When they were finished, Erin ran back to Mousse, as Jesse squeezed out the door beside her.

"You can light it, now," Erin said, grinning.

The three boys pushed the door most of the way closed, then, as soon as everyone had gotten clear, Mousse flicked the lighter on, kneeled down, and tossed it into darkness. Quickly, Ryoga and Ranma shoved the door the rest of the way closed, until they heard it latch. From inside, they could hear a rushing sound, as the main hall ignited.

"I hope this works," Ryoga said, "and doesn't just make that thing angrier at us."

"I think," Erin said, "that if the heir Mokatsu were actually coming for us, it would have already done it. So, the way I figure it is, in about fifteen minutes, the Mokatsu and it's fortress will vanish back to wherever they came from…a parallel dimension, Planet X, whatever. It probably won't notice our good-bye present until it's too late for it to do anything about it."

"What if it teleports to safety?" Ryoga asked.

Erin shrugged. "It'll still have to find a new house. Plus, even if it does, it can't come back for another thousand years, anyway."

The group had not heard any sounds from the Mokatsu in at least thirty minutes.

"Hopefully," Jesse said, "it's too busy absorbing the power from the other one, or something, to care about us anymore."

The others nodded. Mousse, who was standing behind Erin, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, as Ryoga put his arm around Jesse's waist. If Ranma felt a tad conspicuous standing by himself, no one noticed. They could now see a red glow coming from the crack between the doors, and there were crashing noises inside as pieces of ceiling and doors collapsed and burned.

Suddenly, just as the smell of burning was beginning to become noticeable in the night air, and tendrils of smoke curled from under the black doors, the Mokatsu's fortress began to waver, as if it were under water. Then, a soft glow encompassed it, and suddenly, the whole structure vanished. A rush of cool air flowed in to occupy the space it had vacated. The mountain was again untainted.

The five teenagers stood in silence on the mountain peak. There was a light breeze blowing, and the stars were shining brightly. Erin leaned back against Mousse, and stared up at the sky.

"I wonder where it went…" she said softly.

Hugging her tighter, Mousse responded, "I don't care, as long as it's far away, and doesn't plan on coming back."

"It won't," she told him. "At least, not for another millenium."

She reached up and put her hand on his cheek. "I'm so glad you're back with me."

He smiled, and kissed the side of her face. "Me, too."

"For a while there," Jesse whispered to Ryoga, "I was afraid I had lost you."

"I thought you had, too," he told her, playing with the bottom of her hair. "But, you helped save my life, and now, you won't be able to get rid of me."

She smiled, and laid her head on his shoulder. "What makes you so sure you could leave if you wanted to?"

He laughed, and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead.

The two couples stood under the night sky for a few more minutes. Ranma stood off to the side, his arms crossed, looking slightly dejected, as well he should. Finally, Erin broke the silence.

"Let's go home," she said, taking Mousse's hand.

He nodded, and the others agreed. Turning their backs on the space the fortress had occupied, they began walking toward the rough trail that led down the mountain. After they had been walking for a few minutes, there was a loud crashing noise. Everyone jumped, and at least one person let out a surprised yelp.

"What was that!" Ranma asked, paranoia momentarily getting the better of him.

"Thunder," Ryoga said, looking back up at the sky. A dark cloud drifted over the moon.

Suddenly, something wet hit Erin's face. She paused, and stared at the three martial artists.

Lightning split the sky, briefly bathing the mountainside in a yellow glow. A few drops fell, and the wind picked up. Then the storm broke, instantly drenching the five teenagers on the slope. Jesse and Erin stared at each other and sighed.

"Quack!"

"Bweee!"

"Aw, man!"


	4. Epilogue

Part Four: Epilogue

Early the next morning, Cologne was outside sweeping the front porch of the Neko Hanten. A light rain tapped on the awning above her head, dripping off and forming a thin curtain of water that blurred the view beyond. Looking up, she could see someone coming down the road, still off in the distance. She went back to her sweeping. A few minutes later, when she looked up again, she could make out three figures. This time, instead of going back to work, she stood there watching as they drew closer. Soon, even through the misty shield of rain, she could see that there were three girls: one was carrying a white duck, one a black piglet, and the third had bright red hair.

A small smile crept over her wrinkled face. "Well, I'll be," she croaked. "They've returned…"

Turning quickly, the Amazon matriarch pushed open the door of the Neko Hanten. «Shampoo!» she called out in Chinese, as she entered the main area.

Shampoo came downstairs. «What is it, Great-Grandma?»

Cologne paused for a moment to jump atop her cane. «They have arrived,» she stated simply.

The young Amazon's eyes widened, and she bounced gleefully. «So happy!» She stared at Cologne for a brief moment. «Shampoo go get towels for Ranma!» Spinning on her heel, she dashed exuberantly back up the stairs.

The older Chinese woman turned at the sound of footsteps on the porch. The door swung open. Three wet, but very alive, teenagers filed into the Neko Hanten, duck and pig in hands.

"Tadaima," whispered the brunette girl holding the duck.

The door swung closed again, and there was a pause, while the two American girls cast tired but triumphant looks at each other and the aged matriarch sized up the situation. Ranma dripped water on the floor. Finally, Cologne broke the silence.

"I just cleaned the floor, you know," she croaked blandly.

Erin snorted. "I suppose we forgot umbrellas in our initial packing frenzy." She surveyed the decent-sized puddle forming around all their feet. "So sorry."

Cologne's wrinkled face cracked into a smile. "Welcome home."

At that moment, Shampoo returned with the towels and handed them out. She bounced on her toes, and clapped her hands together. "Aiya, Ranma!" she squealed at the bedraggled martial artist. "You come back to Shampoo!" Then, catching on finally, her face fell. "Why you still girl?"

"Fair question," Jesse muttered. P-Chan 'bweeed' in agreement. "But I am _cold_ and _wet_!" the blond girl continued, "and my boyfriend is a small barnyard animal." She glared at nothing in particular.

"Ah, yes," croaked the Amazon matriarch. "Shampoo," she said, turning to the confused purple-haired girl next to her, "please show them places to change, and bring hot water." She paused. "Then, I expect there will be much explaining to do…"

Less than an hour later, the seven of them sat gathered around a table in the Neko Hanten. Cologne had provided hot tea and ramen. Now warm, dry, and in clean clothes, the five teenagers were ready to tell their story. For the first part, Ryoga did most of the talking; periodically, Mousse would interject something that he had noticed or thought to himself. Ranma made many snide comments in the background, but added very little to the actual telling of events. As the two cousins had not been present for the boys' initial discovery of the Mokatsu's fortress, or for their first battle with the creature and its Heir, they kept fairly quiet during Ryoga's recounting. When he got to the first encounter and subsequent face-off with the two beings, he fell silent. Mousse looked over at him and gave him a small smile. Erin touched his shoulder reassuringly, and Jesse slipped her hand into his. Ryoga continued.

Cologne's already wide eyes grew even larger as he described the events of their fight, and then Ranma's…well…Ranma-ish conduct afterward. Jesse glared alarmingly at the pigtailed martial artist as he sat, arms crossed, listening to the fanged boy speak. He did not admit to anything, but he also did not contradict anything that was said. Shampoo just stared at him adoringly, periodically making sympathetic noises at his suffered afflictions. Jesse rolled her eyes, but refrained from making any of the numerous rude comments that came into her head.

Ryoga ended with his final attack on the Heir Mokatsu, and its subsequent disappearance. Then, he sighed and leaned his head on Jesse's shoulder. She glared half-heartedly at Ranma, then softened and turned her attention to her quietly embarrassed boyfriend. Cologne opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again. Erin spoke up.

"It's a good thing we went after them when we did," she said softly, placing a gently affectionate hand on Mousse's arm. "Otherwise…" She allowed her comment to hang in the air, unfinished.

The old woman looked annoyed, then nodded. "True…" she muttered, the point conceded.

Ranma was forced to pry a concerned Shampoo off his arm, as Erin picked up the story where Ryoga had left off. There were a few uncomfortable pauses at certain parts, especially where Mousse's well being was in question. The two others who had been with her then noticed the lack of detail she allowed into the telling of those parts. However, they neither questioned nor corrected her, and the rest of her descriptions of events were quite thorough. Only once did Ranma open his mouth to protest something, but he was quickly silenced by Ryoga, who pointedly reminded him, "How would you know, Ranma? You were dead at the time…"

Erin briefly but thoroughly outlined how she and Jesse had found the boys, Mousse's death, the discovery of the book's missing page, their search for the creature, their discovery of Ranma, the second battle with the Master, and Ryoga's death. She finished by telling of the Mokatsu's demise, and the three boys' subsequent recovery. Ranma interjected to tell of their setting fire to the fortress, and its final silent vanishing.

"Then we came home," Erin concluded.

"It's still raining, too," her cousin grumbled.

There was silence for a long moment. Cologne looked at each person in turn, an expression of begrudging admiration on her face as her gaze fell on the American girls. "You have all done remarkably well for yourselves," she began. "I am impressed. More than I expected to be." She paused for a moment, considering Ranma. "Unfortunately, our first purpose of delivering the three of you from your curses was not achieved. I am sorry for that."

A general undercurrent of dissatisfaction came from the three young men gathered around the table. Both the Chinese boy and his bandana-clad partner cast veiled sidelong glares at Ranma, who sat with his arms crossed and a look of vague discomfort in his slate blue eyes. Mousse turned and glanced at Erin, who was smiling at him, a look of tranquil, silent comfort on her face. He sighed.

"You know, though," he said softly, turning back to Cologne. "Being cursed is much better than being dead." He paused. "And I can apparently speak from experience…"

Ryoga nodded his assent.

Mousse continued. "And, I have decided that, although inconvenient, it has never gotten in the way of how certain people feel about me…" Here, he blushed slightly and smiled at Erin. "Doing this, and having my closest friends try so hard to save me showed me that I don't have to worry about my curse anymore. At least, not in the same way as before because…well…I'm already loved and accepted for who I am."

Erin leaned over and kissed him softly on the cheek. Mousse could feel his face burning, and from the mildly amused look he was getting from Cologne, he guessed that its color mirrored that fact. Ryoga nodded once more.

"Yes," he said. "I agree with him. I have everything I really want." He squeezed Jesse's hand. "And I think that I could actually be content with my curse for the rest of my life if I had to."

"But life is too precious to waste on foolish battles to fix things that, ultimately, don't change who we are inside," the Chinese boy murmured.

Cologne smiled. "True. Very true." She looked at the two cursed martial artists. "It seems you have learned more than I ever expected. Not only have you fought bravely and honorably, but you have also learned to be at peace with your circumstances. To appreciate the blessings in life and not concentrate on the…well…curses." And here, her smile became decidedly maternal. "This is something that people can live a life as long as mine, and still not understand. I am proud of you."

Eyes wide, the two young men mouthed their thanks, absolutely shocked at what was, for Cologne, an emotionally affectionate outburst. Their girlfriends grinned widely.

The old woman then turned to look at Ranma, who was attempting to keep an overly sympathetic Shampoo at arms' distance. "You, on the other hand," she began, "seem to have come away with the least. Training you may have gotten. But if fighting is all you will learn, then life will prove hard and lonely for you." Ranma scowled, but was too worn out to act as indignant as he might have liked. The matriarch continued. "Perhaps, though, you have at least learned that jumping through unknown doors offered by bestial hosts of dubious trustworthiness is a foolish idea at best."

Ranma rolled his eyes and made an affronted noise, but glanced almost longingly at the other two couples in the restaurant. They were both seemingly in their own worlds of happiness, enveloped in the protection of mutual love and care. He thought about Akane, and Ukyo, and even Shampoo, and how surface all his relationships were with them. They never talked, really. At least, not without arguing. He did not actually know any of them anymore. He sighed almost inaudibly. "_Maybe_," he thought to himself, "j_ust maybe it's time I tried to actually be a real friend to somebody_." Suddenly, the thought of being the best fighter in the world, but without any people who truly cared about the person he was on the inside, sounded far from appealing.

From her chair, Cologne observed the pensive look that had taken control of Ranma's features. And she wondered, briefly, if maybe he had learned a little more than he had been given credit for.

Far off, in an unknown realm, a dark fortress appeared atop a mountain. Deep within, a creature seethed with untold power. The Heir Mokatsu lurked in one of the many hidden rooms in its stronghold; writhing veins of energy trailed over its body, ready…waiting.

As soon as the former Master had been slain, its entire lifetime of accumulated chi had blossomed outward in a great surge. But then, slowly, it had flowed back toward its new possessor. The younger creature felt the death of the elder and met it with a nearly triumphant expectancy. It reached up, willing the energy to draw toward it, to become part of it. It roared with pleasure as the roiling cloud enveloped it.

Far below, the Mokatsu's echoing growls reached the ears of five barely recovered teenagers struggling to decide on their next move. The creature's exultant ejaculations of charged ecstasy were misinterpreted as a beginning act of vengeance on them for the slaying of its Master. They left as quickly as possible. Unbeknownst to the Heir, however, the puny, insignificant humans left a token of their affection: a small going-away present.

The oblivious creature continued its work, feeling safe from the interference of the humans, as its next step was the most important, yet also the most vulnerable, in its assumption of power. The time had come for it to completely take its role as the Master by creating for itself a new Heir. Gathering its newfound energies tightly around itself, it focused its concentration. The process by which its fellow beings had replicated themselves throughout the centuries was indeed a bizarre one, as Cologne had told Ranma. Parthenogenesis: The splitting of one thing into another identical yet separate entity. The Mokatsu would use its chi to force a duplicate of itself to split off from its body. This duplicate would know what it knew at the time of separation, but would be subservient to it in all things, acknowledging it as the superior existence. Once this process was complete, the new Master would begin to grow larger with each of its absorbed victim's chi, while the new Heir would, in turn, await its own opportunity for power.

The Mokatsu could feel the process beginning, as new cells formed, and the new creature began to split off from within its flesh. It allowed itself to sink deeper into its mitosis, letting the raw power overwhelm its other senses and the reformation consume its whole awareness. Giving itself over completely to its task, the Mokatsu was unaware that, far below it, the flames rose higher…

In the Neko Hanten, the conversation was beginning to die down, as weariness was starting to encroach on the recently returned. Cologne spoke.

"You all look ready to return to your homes." Her comment was met with several nods. "Before you leave, though," she continued, a contemplative look on her face, "I have one final question."

"Yeah?" Ranma quipped. "Well I have several…"

Cologne cut him off. "Elders first." She turned to the cousins, "Although I am very impressed with how you managed to overcome the creature's shape-changing illusion, I am rather unclear on how you achieved this. Or even how you knew it was anything other than it seemed."

Confusion flitted across the faces of Shampoo and the three boys. Only Erin, who knew her thoughts to begin with, and Jesse, who had figured it out soon after, maintained their unconcerned expressions.

"That's a good point," Ryoga muttered.

The old matriarch raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"Ha!" Jesse crowed. "Wouldn't _you_ like to know!"

Cologne blinked at her; she smirked happily. Erin, for her part, took a final sip of her tea, then turned to face the old woman. She was attempting to refrain from looking very pleased with herself, and it showed.

"The elderly lady on the mountain was my first clue," she said thoughtfully.

Jesse nodded. "She was a bit odd."

"While we were talking to her," Erin continued, "a bird flew overhead. It got above and a bit behind her, then stopped dead in midair and fell to the ground. It was alive, but quite stunned—like it had just hit a window. The old woman acted annoyed, and rushed off. Then, as she walked through the trees, the branches rustled as she passed."

Jesse interjected, "The branches were well above her head, and there wasn't any wind."

"Very true," her cousin affirmed. "Next came the doorkeeper."

"Also very odd," muttered the blond girl next to her.

Erin went on, choosing to forgo commenting. "For one thing, he never showed up at the same time as either creature." Pointing to the three male martial artists, she said, "Based on what the guys have told us about when they were fighting battles, I think it's reasonable to assume that both of these were incarnations of the Heir Mokatsu."

Cologne nodded her understanding, and the American girl proceeded. "The only time that Jesse and I saw the doorkeeper, he looked significantly more frazzled than Ryoga described him looking when they arrived."

Next to Jesse, the fanged young man nodded once in agreement. "He seemed quite calm when we spoke with him. And, he greeted us almost as soon as we entered."

"Those facts," Erin said, continually warming to her topic, "later made me think that the Heir Mokatsu must have just come from the first battle. The aftereffects of Ryoga's Shishi Hôkôdan could quite easily account for both the delay in the doorkeeper's arrival to greet us and his expended appearance."

Cologne interrupted briefly. "What you have told us so far is most fascinating, as well as debatable that anyone else would have noticed this." In the background, Jesse mumbled something about too much science fiction, while the ancient Amazon kept talking. "However, both of these events relate only to the Heir."

Erin nodded, smiling slightly. "That's true. But based on the strange black book in the corridor, we had no reason to believe that the older creature did things any differently than its subordinate." She paused, looking off into the distance. "And also, the last piece of the puzzle didn't click until the final battle with the Master."

The old woman shuffled her cane around a bit, and glanced at the rest of the assembly. Although Shampoo still looked slightly lost, the three boys appeared to be gladly absorbing any information the young lady gave. After all, they were alive because of her generally overactive imagination and sci-fi warped reasoning abilities. Cologne smiled slightly, and turned her attention back to the conclusion of Erin's story.

"After Ryoga was removed from the fight," she began delicately, "Jesse and I came up with a way to distract the creature, which had, by that time, taken his form. Or at least, that was how it appeared. I distracted it; she rather violently impaled it with the dagger the doorkeeper had provided us with. We had been told that those daggers alone had the ability, for whatever reason, to kill the creatures. And she got it straight through the middle of its body."

Jesse made a satisfied noise, a completely smug look on her face. Erin glanced at her and smirked slightly.

"Then it had the obscene audacity to yank the knife out, get up, and come at us again." She shook her head and sighed, feigning insult. "Very rude if you ask me. It didn't." She smiled at Cologne and continued. "But, that was when everything finally came together. It seemed that instead of actually transforming into the physical shape of someone else, it could project solid illusions slightly in front of it."

Mousse spoke up, answering a question he had formed much earlier. "If it could somehow project and, well, harden its chi aura, it would explain why there would be no need of a change in mass…"

Erin shrugged. "I'm not even going to pretend to figure out the physics behind it. All I know is that what we were seeing was not actually what—or where—the creature actually was. The same held true for the old woman on the mountain. We were interacting with the illusion, while the bird impacted with the body of the invisible creature. When I threw the second knife, I actually just aimed at where I remembered the Mokatsu last standing before it 'transformed.'"

"Wait a minute!" Ranma exclaimed. "You're telling me that ya just guessed!" He seemed quite put out by this information.

She smiled at him, staring angelically from under fluttering eyelashes. "Weeell, it was a very educated guess…" Ranma twitched. "And it worked," she finished, crossing her arms. Her body language fairly dared him to come up with something clever to say about that. Which he didn't.

Cologne, who had remained quiet for a while, voiced her final opinion. "Amazing," she croaked. "The whole thing."

"I bet the next Mokatsu will think twice before leaving instruction manuals hanging around," Jesse concluded.

Erin smiled a small, knowing smile. Mousse stared questioningly at her, but did not ask. Ranma had given up on forcing Shampoo off, and she was now happily dozing against his shoulder. Jesse and Ryoga were leaning against each other. Cologne smiled at the group in an almost motherly way.

"Perhaps you should all go sleep," the elderly martial artist suggested. "You have done much, and told all, and it is well past midnight." A few nods and some yawns told her she was right. "I will see you again soon, no doubt." She stood, and hopped on her cane as usual.

After telling Cologne, and a groggy Shampoo, goodnight, the two couples walked out into the soft darkness. Still inside, Ranma lifted the purple-haired Amazon girl, and carried her silently to her room. He set her down on the bed, and watched her sleep for a moment. "_Maybe_," he thought to himself, "_I could convince her to just be my friend for a little while. That'd be nice. And just maybe…I could get Akane to be my friend, too. I guess first, I'll have to learn how to be a better friend to her…_" He turned and walked downstairs.

"Good night, Cologne," he said, with a slight, uncharacteristic bow.

The Chinese Amazon briefly considered calling him "Son-in-law," as she generally did. He seemed different somehow, though. Wiser maybe. She nodded once, briefly. "Good night, Ranma." He left.

Cologne watched his departing form and wondered to herself, "_Perhaps dying once has that effect on a person_." She smiled. "_Not that I intend to find out any time soon…_" She locked the door, and went silently to her room.

After saying their group goodnights, Jesse had left to walk Ryoga to his house, their hands clasped together, and her head on his shoulder. Mousse had taken Erin to her apartment. Now, the young Chinese man stood there, watching his girlfriend in the moonlight. She was in the process of unlocking her door. He reached out and softly touched her hair. She opened the door, then turned to him and smiled.

"I love you," she whispered.

He smiled back at her. Reaching down, he pulled something out of his robe sleeve, and held it out to her. She stared at the rose: white, with red tendrils across the surface of its petals. Taking the flower, Erin leaned forward, placed a hand on his face, and kissed him softly.

"O-yasumi nasai, Mousse-ahiru," she said, giving him a hug.

Mousse held her tightly. "O-yasumi nasai, Erin. I love you, too…"

The young woman smiled once more, then disappeared into the darkness of the apartment with her flower. Mousse sighed happily, and began his walk back to the Neko Hanten.

Jesse leaned forward and kissed Ryoga's nose, effectively distracting him from his task of entering his house. He blushed slightly, and took her hand.

"Thank you," he whispered to the blond girl.

She smiled, and swatted playfully at his head. "Never try anything like this again, though, okay?"

The bandana clad martial artist looked suitably chastised, but still had a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "But," he protested, "it gets me so much extra affection…"

Hugging him tightly, Jesse shook her head. "Nope. I'll make sure you get enough affection anyway!" She kissed him.

"I wonder," Ryoga began, his arms still around his girlfriend, "if the Mokatsu could only use the forms of people it had absorbed, why could it take the form of an old man? Or an old woman, for that matter?"

The American girl did her best to shrug, while still clinging to his neck. "I suppose that some time ago, they challenged the Mokatsu and lost." She paused to think. "I mean, look at Cologne. She's old! Or even Happosai." She shuddered slightly at that last thought. She had fortunately never been harassed by the lecherous old martial arts master, but had heard enough stories of his energetic raidings to be wary of him.

"I suppose so," Ryoga conceded. Then, squeezing Jesse enough to lift her off her feet, he murmured, "I love you so much." Then, he set her down.

"I love you too, Ryo-chan." She grinned.

Then, after a final goodnight kiss, she hurried off down the road, back to her apartment, as Ryoga turned and went into his home.

In its own, uncharted realm, the Master Mokatsu was nearing the final stages of its parthenogenesis. The small section of its mind not occupied by the separation worked furiously on its plan of return. It had waited patiently behind its former Master, yet all the while wishing that a more aggressive approach could be taken in the challenging. To set its whole fortress down in a village, and challenge all the natives, one by one defeating them, and taking their chi…this is what would please it. Only another thousand years—to be spent building its strength and training its Heir—before it could return to the pathetic human globe of existence. It quivered with anticipation, and its not-quite-formed Heir shuddered delightedly with it. Then the pain began, searing through their whole, still shared, body. Complete, consuming fire. Too small a piece of consciousness was left to defend itself. The chamber was enveloped in warping columns of flame and billows of smoke.

The Mokatsu was dimly aware of the incomplete form of its almost-Heir blackening, and tearing away from it, falling to the ground in shriveling ashes. True, only the knives had the ancient power to fully annihilate one of their great race. But, death and destruction are not always the same thing. Its own flesh was betraying it, withering to darkened sections, crumbling away. Soon, nothing was left of the frame of the once exultant creature. The fortress gave way before the trenchant blaze and succumbed even every hidden part to the conflagration.

In the end, a heap of smoldering ruins was the only thing remaining on the mountainside. A parched wind blew over the vestiges of the once great testimony to the might of the hoary creatures. And with the wind, remained the last traces of the Heir's consciousness. Vaguely aware, yet far from sentient, it hovered above the remnants of its aspired glory…

A dim light shone out of a lone window in Nerima. The rest of the town was long since asleep. Inside the mostly darkened apartment, Erin walked into her bedroom, clad in her nightgown, her hair still wet after taking a shower. She felt fresh, having finally been able to wash away the dirt and grime and the effects of the ragged emotions that had surfaced during the recent ordeal. But now, Mousse was safe, alive. Ryoga too, and even Ranma. Her cousin would be coming home soon, after walking Ryoga to his house. She smiled. Only one more thing to do.

Barefoot, Erin padded lightly over to her bed, on which she had flopped her backpack upon getting home. She pulled out the bottom drawer of her dresser, where she kept her private things, and set it next to the pack. Then, she opened the main compartment; the sound of the zipper was the only thing breaking the silence. Mousse had wondered, and even briefly worried about her when she had disappeared into the Mokatsu's fortress, after everyone else was outside. The Chinese boy had never actually asked what she was doing, however. Now, she took out her secret.

Carefully, Erin placed a large black book into the drawer. A gilded knot decorated the cover. The young woman opened it briefly, only enough to slip a slightly crinkled sheet of paper between two of the pages. Reaching into her backpack once more, she pulled out a jeweled knife. No stain remained on the gleaming blade, no reminder of what it was or what purpose it had served. She placed it in the drawer, beside the book. Moving the pack to the floor, she set the drawer back in its slot. Erin sighed softly, pausing. Before closing it, she placed her rose on the cover of the book. A splash of color against the darkness. A small smile crossed her face, and then, humming softly to herself, she slipped into bed and turned out the light.

A soft breeze blew over Nerima, and there was peacefulness in the cool wind. These battles were over.

Japanese Phrases:  
O-hayô – Good morning

O-yasumi nasai – Good evening/night  
Anata ga suki desu – I love you  
Shôri – victory  
Yatta – I did it, also, yea!  
Koibito – sweetheart/beloved  
O-baba – Old woman/hag  
Baka – fool  
Kentou/Kôun o inori masû – Good luck

Yokoso – Welcome

Tadaima – I'm back  
"name"-chan – familiar suffix, implies a close relationship (not necessarily romantic in nature)  
"name"-kun – familiar suffix used almost only when talking to a young man

Chinese Phrases:  
Nihao - Hello/Hi  
Wo ai ni - I love you  
Woda airen - My beloved husband

Attacks and Translations:  
Katchuu Tenshin Amaguriken – Chestnut Fist; speed technique involving hundreds of rapid punches in succession.

Shishi Hôkôdan – Roaring Lion Blast/Depression blast; chi attack based on depressed or unhappy chi.

Mouko Takabisha – Confidence blast; chi attack based on confident chi.

Hiryû Shôten Ha – Flying Dragon Ascension Wave; giant spiraling chi attack based on conflicting "hot" and "cold" chi, requires a certain set of steps and another person to focus on.

Bakusai Tenketsu – Breaking Point; technique used to shatter rocks and other objects.

Takatsume-ken – Raking Hawk Talons; involves jumping on someone's head while wearing long, curved nails on the bottoms of your shoes.

Baikyû Utsuri – A reverse chi attack that I just completely made up, 'cause I thought it would be spiffy, and it served its purpose. ;-)


End file.
